Ancient Mexicans enjoyed their chili

Or so I presume. They grew and ate several different sorts, so it seems reasonble to presume so. According to ScienceDaily, people have eaten spicy food in the Mexican area for a least 1500 years.

Ancient Americans Liked It Hot: Mexican Cuisine Traced To 1,500 Years Ago

Plant remains from two caves in southern Mexico analyzed by a Smithsonian ethnobotanist/archaeologist and a colleague indicate that as early as 1,500 years ago, Pre-Columbian inhabitants of the region enjoyed a spicy fare similar to Mexican cuisine today. The two caves yielded 10 different cultivars (cultivated varieties) of chili peppers.

"This analysis demonstrates that chilies in Mexican food have been numerous and complex for a long period of time," said lead author Linda Perry, of the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History. "It reveals a great antiquity for the Mexican cuisine that we're familiar with today."

Living in a country where people complain about the food being too strong if you pepper it too much, or get a chili within one meter of the food, it's quite facinating to see that the goodness of chili has been enjoyed for so long.

If anyone has any good recepies for dishes involving chili, this would be a good place to post it in the comments.