By Associated Press, 10/01/02

LAS CRUCES, N.M. — Las Cruces came up with the perfect recipe for heartburn.

Combine 75 gallons of red chili, 50 pounds of onions, 175 pounds of cheese and 750 pounds of corn flour.

In Las Cruces, they call it an enchilada.

The three-layer enchilada, featuring 10-foot-wide tortillas, was fashioned Sunday as the culminating event of the annual Whole Enchilada Festival in Las Cruces.

Each huge tortilla was flattened, carried to a 500-degree oil bin and then put on a plate and topped with chili.

Roberto Estrada, who has built the giant enchilada for the festival for 21 years, and his crew of nearly three dozen men took nearly four hours to complete the main dish as festival-goers watched from metal bleachers.

Many in the crowd stood and cheered as the final layer was made.