Born in the height of chile roasting season in the Mesilla Valley, Emma Jean Cervantes (Aug. 5, 1935 – Aug. 30, 2024) was destined to be known as the “Queen of Cayenne” and “First Lady of Chile.” Throughout her career, Cervantes earned being known as champion chile grower and her chiles spiced up the mashes used in well-loved, commercial hot sauces.
With familial roots running deep in La Mesa, NM, Cervantes grew up in a third-generation farming family that stewarded 1,500-acre farm and company J.F. Apodaca Farms. Values of hard work, the importance of education, and strengthening community were instilled by her family and guided the rest of her life. Her vast knowledge of New Mexican agriculture flourished from working her family’s fields to eventually managing Cervantes Enterprises.
“I have seen a lot of changes in agriculture over the years, but the one thing that has not faltered is family legacy and values in agriculture,” Cervantes said.
On the family farm, Emma Jean and her sister would spend time collecting cotton, gathering pecans, working in the alfalfa fields, riding in the truck with her father, and helping with accounting. Both Cervantes sisters pursued education at the Loretto Academy in El Paso, Texas. Around this time, her father encouraged her to go to school for nursing.
After graduating high school in 1953, Cervantes attended Mount Saint Mary’s University in Los Angeles, California, to pursue a Bachelor of Science. She lived in Los Angeles for four years after finishing her degree and returned to Las Cruces to take over her family’s farm in 1964.
When she returned, she overcame challenges that came with running a farm as a businesswoman in male-dominated field. To improve conditions for growing chiles, she found support in partnership with Mexican chile consultants and from her husband. As Cervantes navigated this cultural landscape, she established loyalty and respect within the community by the early 1900s and was the first woman to receive New Mexico State University’s Phillip Leyendecker Agriculturist of Distinction award in 1996.
Cervantes’ work in agriculture and nursing helped improve her community and left a legacy in both fields. In addition to connecting with local farmers and NMSU, Cervantes served as a member on the board of directors for the Chile Pepper Institute and was a founding member of the New Mexico Farm & Ranch Heritage Museum. In honor of her memory, two endowed scholarships are offered to students from Doña Ana County pursuing a nursing or agricultural degree at NMSU. Additionally, she helped establish multiple medical centers in the Las Cruces community, such as Mesilla Valley Hospice, First Step Center, and Memorial Cancer Treatment Center.
“Her Land: Women in Agriculture” is a rotating exhibit in the central corridor at New Mexico Farm & Ranch Heritage Museum in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Women hold a pivotal yet often overlooked role in agricultural history, so this exhibit shares their stories of resilience and expertise that continue to shape the agricultural landscape of the state.
By PR Specialist Alison Penn and Dolores Melchor, NMSU Anthropology Intern