New Mexico’s Really Into This Chile War, Huh?

Ah, the good ol’ (and maybe even kind of annoying at this point) “Who has better green chile” debate continues. 

This time with billboards in our own Colorado territory. 

A billboard that reads “Chile Capital of the World” -- not referring to Pueblo -- sits off Ninth Avenue and Lincoln Street in Denver. More are expected to show up in Colorado Springs and even Pueblo.

It’s part of New Mexico’s $288,000 marketing campaign that kicked off earlier this week by the state’s tourism department. The campaign also includes a 30-second video where a narrator explains why Hatch chile is “the only true green chile.”

There’s even a Subaru with Colorado plates that say “Native.”

The campaign, which includes TV ads in Colorado, is expected to last through October. 

New Mexico’s Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham tweeted, “There’s a reason they call New Mexico the chile capital of the world.”

Earlier this summer, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis shared on Facebook that New Mexico’s Hatch chile is “inferior” to Pueblo’s on a post about Whole Foods selling Pueblo chile in the Rocky Mountain region.

He challenged New Mexico to a chile taste-off, but there’s been no word on a date. 

Pueblo will have its 25th annual Chile & Frijoles Festival from Sept. 20-22.