In this town that has long since been enveloped by an ever expanding Mexico City we discovered the world of Frida Kahlo.
So first in full disclosure, I honestly had no real idea of who Frida Kahlo was until my sister started educating me about this amazing lady. So to you Jenn, I dedicate this post.
If you are not into modern Mexican history or modern art I feel it is ok not to be aware of who this lady was. But once you learn about her, it is quite a tale.
Our first intro to Frida was visiting a memorial park that is named after her. As you walk through the area of Coyoacan you cannot avoid the image of her. It exists on dozens of street art murals, thousands of souvenir trinkets, and countless walking tours talking about her. It is safe to say Frida is the main economic force in Coyoacan even though she died over 70 years ago.They say that her husband, Diego Rivera, was a man of the times. We learned that meant that while having two common law wives he then married Frida who was 21 years younger than him. We also learned Frida was no prude herself. While her husband regularly slept around on her, she as well was widely known to have an impressive number of both male and female lovers. I guess that is what is termed an open marriage.
A quick side track before I continue with Frida. On checking the map of the area I found that the home, and now museum, of Leon Trotsky was just a few blocks away. Being interested in that side of history I had to have a visit while we were in the area.
Low and behold the tale of Frida Kahlo and life of Leon Trotsky are quite entwined, Figuratively and literally apparently.When Trotsky was seeking asylum because Stalin had sentenced him to death, it was Diego and Frida who were instrumental in getting the Mexican government to allow him in the country. His remains can be found in the yard of his house/museum. I found it very interesting to be able to see Trotsky’s study where he was killed by one of Stalin’s agents. You have got to love history.Ok, back to Frida. Her home, and now museum is referred to as The Blue House. It is well worth the visit, though I would recommend reserving your tickets a month or two in advance. It is an extremely popular attraction. We were only able to get tickets last minute by paying the premium of joining in on a walking tour that just happened to have a couple of openings left.She suffered a number of debilitating events in her life but managed to channel her pain into her art. She is famous for her self portraits. Even while confined to bed or wheelchair she continued her work.Every part of her house expresses an individual who loved art. Even the kitchen was done in style.Every part of the house holds treasures which are worth exploring.If ever you get a chance to spend some time in Mexico City I would strongly recommend exploring the life and times of this extraordinary lady.
We found learning about Frida a wonderful change from our normal activities. Thank you again Jenn for starting us on this part of our journey.
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