Chilhuacle

The chile huacle or chilhuacle pepper (from Nahuatl chilli 'chile' and 'huactli' old) is a variety of Capsicum annuum produced in the Cañada region of Oaxaca, Mexico. Now one of the rarest chiles in Mexico, the chilhuacle is also one of the original peppers used in Oaxacan mole recipes, particularly mole negro but including other dishes such as chileajo, chanfaina, clemole and chile caldo. The chilhuacle pepper comes in three varieties -- yellow (amarillo), black (negro), and red (rojo), the latter of which is sometimes also called chilcostle. Due to production costs and decreasing farming, the chilhuacle is currently the most expensive pepper in Mexico, with a market price of $500 pesos per kilogram, or between 25 and 38 US dollars.. For contrast, as of 2026, the habanero is usually priced between $1.73 and $4.09 US dollars.