Coyoacán and Casa Azul
One of my favourite days in Mexico City was the day we spent in Coyoacán, a district to the south of our base in Condesa. It was quickly and easily accessed via the metro but offers a welcome wind-down from the dense city centre. I’d definitely recommend a trip there if you’re visiting D.F to soak in the relaxed pace, little cobbled streets and pretty open plazas.
My main reason for wanting to visit was to go to Casa Azul, the home of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera. Josh was somewhat reluctant beforehand but ended up really liking it too. You enter into a very pretty planted courtyard.
The museum is in the casa itself, left decorated in the way they would have been when Frida and Diego lived and worked here. Here’s the bedroom, complete with Frida’s death mask on the bed – her ashes rest here too.
At the end (which I think was actually supposed to be the start, and we walked around backward) are a few rooms of artworks from and inspired by Frida and Diego. There aren’t loads of artworks by the couple themselves here – they can be found at the Museo Casa Estudio in nearby San Angel and the Museo Dolores Olmedo Patiño in Xochimilco – but what was there was fascinating. I don’t know a lot about Frida’s work besides the famous self-portraits, but I loved these surreal dreamlike sketches and paintings.
I was also really pleased to find that the Vogue-sponsored exhibition of her clothing and accessories was still running. It was small but thoughtfully presented, comparing her medical-related corsets and leg braces (she was injured by both polio and a road accident early in life) to her highly decorative clothing and accessories. The final room showed some contemporary designer pieces inspired by her style.
After the museum we walked towards the town centre, finding a good little food market along the way. Day of the Dead buildup was in full swing in mid-October; the colourful sugar skulls, cutwork bunting and piñatas really made the markets fun to browse.
…and found a beautiful little artisanal coffee shop called Avenalleda. They roast their own beans and made a beautiful cold brew. We bought a variety of beans to bring home.
It kind of became a running joke that I photographed every VW Beetle I saw on this trip. THEY SO PHOTOGENIC.
We had lunch at another entirely vegetarian taquiera called un, Vege Taco. I think it was there largely because there was a Buddhist centre over the road. It was really tasty and a bargain.
After lunch we strolled along the Franciso Sado road, a very pretty cobbled street which connects Coyoacán to San Angel. It’s got several little delis and artisanal food shops along the way. We half-planned to visit the Museo Casa Estudio, but it was a further walk still than we anticipated so gave it a miss.
Off to Oaxaca next…
