The chili pepper is a vegetable that has been part of the history of the Americas. Chilli peppers have been part of the human diet since 7500 BC. Chilli peppers are used in many countries in Mexico and the South American cuisine such as whole peppers and also ground in spaces. Jimmy Santiago Baca's poem "Green Chile", refers to green chiles to represent his memories of home Jimmy Santiago Baca is a mix of Chicano and Apache ancestry, both parents of Baca abandoned him (Poets.org). After being abandoned by his parents, he lived with his grandparents until the age of thirteen. It was during this time with his grandmother that he inspired the story of "The Green Chile". 21 years old, he was convicted of drug possession and was incarcerated. It was when he was incarcerated that he learned to read and write. In "Green Chile", Baca tells a narrative story about his grandmother cooking green chile his first memories of his grandmother who he cooked green chilies to show his appreciation for his cultural traditions while also using green chili to indicate a sense of maturity. Jimmy Santiago Baca wrote "Green Chile" with a narrative tone. He uses four free-form stanzas to formulate his poem. Baca begins by letting readers know his preference for chile. "I prefer red chili pepper to eggs" (1). Baca begins with red chile to show the contrast between the two different chiles. "Ristras of red chile decorate my door, dry on my roof, and hang from the eaves" (3-4). Since red chili peppers originally start out as green chili peppers, Baca indicates the age difference between the two colored chili peppers. The green chilli is in its early stages where it is not yet ripe. The older the green chilli, the darker and redder the chilli will be. There is... middle of paper... like his grandmother. “Ah, voluptuous, masculine, an air of authority and hot youth” (15-16). Where his grandmother loves green chile, Baca uses it to represent a young man, like himself. “Youth Simmers” represents the maturation process when the green chili pepper matures into a red chili pepper. “Green Chile” is completely filled with wonderful images created by the use of metaphors. In a literal sense, the poem talks about the traditional appearance of green chile. Where it is used as a home decoration in traditional home cooking for those who sell green chilli. But when you look deeper into the poem, you will discover a new use for the green chili pepper. In this poem he represents youth with the unripe green chilli which can be compared to himself in his youth. The red chili pepper represents a sense of maturity while being physically older than the green chili pepper.