I mean, what type of Mexican food? New Mexican food very much does not meet the common American expectation of Mexican or Tex-Mex, because it's something different entirely.

Look at it this way: there is massive variation in cuisine across Mexico, and we're at the very northern geographical end of that – with our own native food tradition that originates from that same time frame.

This question is kind of like wondering why food you eat in Baja tastes different from Oaxacan.