Abstract: To reveal the chemical basis of diversity and peculiarity of fruit colors of Capsicum annuum cultivars cultivated in Wenshan prefecture, Yunnan Province, in ripening period, the chlorophyll (Chl), carotenoid (Car) and anthocyanin contents of the purple, red, golden and variegated C. annuum fruits collected during the ripening period were studied by using spectrophotometry. The results showed that, during the ripening period, the characteristics of the Chl a and Chl (a b) contents and Chl a/b and Chl (a b)/Car of the colorful fruits of the C. annuum cultivars cultivated in Wenshan were all as: the purple＞the variegated＞the red＞the golden, the characteristic of the Chl b content was as: the purple＞the variegated＞the golden＞the red, that of the Car content was as: the golden＞the red＞the variegated＞the purple, and that of the total anthocyanin content (TAC) was as: the purple＞the red＞the golden＞the variegated. Furthermore, the differences of the contents of the Chl a, Chl b and Chl (a b) of the fruits with the four colors all reached extremely significant levels, whereas the differences of the Car content and TAC did not. Thus, the color difference of the fruits of the C. annuum cultivars cultivated in Wenshan during the ripening period is mainly decided by the Chl contents, Chls and anthocyanins jointly contribute to the fruit purple, and the Car content determines the golden and red colors of the fruits. This study could provide a reference for studying fruits’coloration and the breeding of the cultivars with new fruit colors.