“You’re always up for trying unconventional food experiences, aren’t you?” Mary Ann, a local winemaker’s wife, asks with a knowing smile.
It’s a July evening, and we’re seeking refuge from the blistering heat inside Luna Rossa Winery in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Around the table, a group of farmers and winemakers are engaged in an animated discussion about the challenges of grape cultivation in the Southwest climate. As I jot down notes for my latest wine story, trying to keep up with their rapid-fire conversation, Mary Ann’s question catches me off guard.
“Guilty as charged,” I reply.
Mary Ann leans in, her dark eyes flashing. “Have you ever heard of The World’s Largest Matanza? It’s an incredible event, but you’d have to come back in January.”
I turn my chair toward her, intrigued. “Matanza? I’m not familiar with that.”
She takes a sip of wine, savoring the moment before she begins to explain this New Mexican tradition.
What is Matanza?
The tradition of Matanza originated with the Spanish, who brought it to the New World in the 1500s. Matanza, which literally means “the killing,” was far more than just a method of food preservation—it was a community celebration.
In the days before refrigeration, Matanza was a critical way for communities to process and distribute meat during late fall and winter. Families would raise pigs that could grow to between 300 and 600 pounds, and the entire community would come together for this massive undertaking.
The process was elaborate: Older men handled the butchering, while women prepared an array of traditional dishes like carnitas, carne adovada, chicharrones, and tortillas. The event wasn’t just about food—it was a social adhesive that helped unite entire communities and maintain family and neighborhood bonds.
Where to Experience Matanza
Today, you can experience this little-known tradition every year near the end of January in Belén—literally “Bethlehem” in Spanish—New Mexico. The World’s Largest Matanza draws thousands of attendees who come to enjoy traditional foods and honor this centuries-old practice.
As one cultural expert noted, the Matanza is more than just a food festival – it is “heritage, community, ritual, economics, culinary tradition, and celebration” all rolled into one.
The New Mexico Food Scene
© Stacey Wittig
Nowhere are green chilies and pork more closely related than in this dusty part of the Southwest. Belén is only 150 miles north of Hatch, New Mexico, home of the infamous Hatch green chiles, and 33 miles south of Albuquerque, home of Gruet sparkling, which has won San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition awards for the past 15 years.
The enchanting food culture of green chiles, blue corn tortillas, and dried chiles hung around outdoor patios pairs beautifully with New Mexican wines. These wines are crafted from grapes grown along the Rio Grande since 1649, making this region the oldest wine area in the United States.
Preserving Fading Food Traditions
The World’s Largest Matanza, hosted by the Hispano Chamber of Valencia County, is a vibrant celebration that keeps New Mexico’s rich culinary traditions alive. This annual event features local families and friends competing to create the best carne adovada, red chile, chicharrones, and other traditional New Mexican dishes.
While the competition aspect adds excitement, the Matanza’s true significance lies in its role as a cultural bridge. It provides opportunities for elders to pass down time-honored techniques of butchering and preparing pork to younger generations.
The Most Unlikely Setting
The January day of the Matanza arrived, and my friend Diane and I parked our car in the one-story, white Catholic Church parking lot, which was already filling with pickup trucks and sporty sedans. The church isn’t fancy—Belén is a blue-collar town, once a major transportation hub on the Rio Grande, with trains running to and from all compass points. The railroad town is on flat, dry valley land that stretches to the Great Plains on the east, where the January sun is just cresting the horizon.
We ride a bus to the event site and spill into a scene buzzing with electric anticipation. The clatter of metal buffet pans and the shouts of older men directing others to stoke the fires reach our ears as we move through the chain link gate. The fires emitting the distinctive scent of piñon pine have probably been burning since before dawn.
The World’s Largest Matanza
In the past, adolescent boys tended those fires that heated water in 55-gallon drums while men skilled in such things handled the hog slaughter. Today, hogs are butchered in USDA-approved butcher shops, and it’s mostly grown men who watch the fire. In the chilly air, the fires catch our attention, and we walk over to grab a cup of steaming coffee and watch the team hustle between the fires and a colossal hog laid out on a table.
Some team members, called Matanzos, dip burlap sacks into the boiling water and drape these hot, wet sacks over the hog’s body to soften the bristles. “Just like a hot towel softens a beard before shaving,” smiles one of Matzanzos in a black hoodie, sleeves rolled up to reveal tatted arms. Diane leaves to scope out breakfast while I talk with team members who aren’t too busy.
11 Matanzo Teams Compete While Live Music Plays
Eleven competing teams have tent stalls on two sides of the dirt field. On the third side, a bandstand is set up. “Our teams have been working all week to get ready,” the voice of Wayne, the DJ, crackles over the loudspeaker. “They’re not only cooking for you but also for being named the champion Mantanzo. So don’t forget to vote!” The day’s first band, Twist & Shout, a Hispanic tribute to the Beatles, is sound-checking behind him.
I meet up with Diane at the queue for the team making red chile pancakes. When we reach the front of the line, women pile on eggs with carne adovada, beans, and grilled potatoes alongside the spicy and sweet pancake.
A few friendly Matanzos invite us to join their table in a white tent, which looks suspiciously like it’s reserved for their Matanza competition team. We join in tossing down the flapjacks, tinted a vibrant orangey-red from the New Mexican red chile spices baked directly into them. This unique chile offers a gentle warmth that dances on the palate, distinctly milder than the fiery chiles from other regions, allowing sweet and earthy flavors to shine through without overwhelming the senses. The same red chile flavors the tender chunks of slow-cooked pork in the savory carne adovada.
It was Time to Indulge…
Before long, we’re no longer strangers but part of the lively party, ready to indulge in all that delicious pork. And indulge, we did.
“Go and eat at all the teams’ stalls. Eat as much as you want,” urges Hector Ortega, Hispano Chamber of Valencia County Board member, after breakfast. “If you want to eat eleven times, eat eleven times.” He’s holding a plate of carnitas – chunks of pork sautéed with vibrant green chiles and caramelized onions, creating a harmonious blend of tender meat and spicy, aromatic flavors.
These green chiles are the same pepper variety as red chiles, harvested earlier in their ripening cycle. Unlike red chiles, which are allowed to mature fully, dry out, and then ground into powder, green chiles are picked young, capturing a brighter, grassy flavor profile that defines New Mexican cuisine.
Diane heads to the honey and soap vendors while I wander back to the steaming water drums. The hot burlap has done its job on the bristles, and the next shift of Matanzos is finishing up shaving the pink hog’s skin.
“Is that skin really the main ingredient for chicharrónes?” I inquire, my curiosity piqued. Until now, I’ve steered clear of chicharrónes, often dismissing them as mere junk food—similar to the cracklins I’ve encountered at gas stations in the South. However, as I stand observing the festival’s bustling scene, I can’t help but notice the longest line is snaking toward the chicharrónes stall. It stretches at least twice as long as the queue for carne adovada, sparking a flicker of intrigue.
To Know What is Matanza, You Must Know Chicharrónes
FOMO kicks in hard, and with Hector’s encouraging words ringing in my ears, I tentatively step into the serpentine line. I notice that the sun has warmed up the crowd, and people have shed their hoodies, gloves, and outer layers. Turning to the man ahead—snazzy in his black cowboy hat—I ask, “What makes these so special?”
His eyes light up. “Chicharrónes are the highlight of Matanza for me!” he declares. “They demand patience, but I promise you, chica—these are worth every minute of waiting. Hot off the line, drowned in fiery red chile sauce—pure magic!”
A Moment of Culinary Epiphany
The plate is finally in my hands. That first bite transforms everything: crisp chicharrónes erupting with flavor, the red chile sauce painting my taste buds with bold strokes. In an instant, I’m transported. This isn’t just food—this is a primal experience, the embodiment of the carnivorous passion I’d only read about in food-travelogues.
Meat lust? More like pork rapture.
The World’s Largest Matanza in Belén, New Mexico, offers a unique culinary journey through the savory tapestry of New Mexican pork dishes. From the vibrant red chile pancakes to the succulent carne adovada, each bite tells a story of tradition and flavor.
I can’t wait to thank Mary Ann for her recommendation.
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Native Flavors and Santa Fe Cuisine
Truite Au Bleue: A French Delicacy in Nice
Read more from Stacey at UnstoppableStaceyTravel.
