The morning started at the
Frida Kahlo Museum, Casa Azul, on the 110th anniversary of her birth, and the 55th anniversary of mine. Seeing as Frida would be exactly twice my age, we got into the spirit of the day. Elizabeth said, "That is very very satisfying math."
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| John does an excellent Diego Rivera impression. A young woman did her best to draw Frida eyebrows on me. There are not enough brow pencils in the world to make my blonde ones Frida-like. |
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| It is very important to buy tickets in advance. This is the line for those with reservations. |
My grandparents lived in Mexico City in 1940, down the street from Casa Azul. My mother was a child and remembers going to Frida Kahlo's home. She texted a brief history.
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| TSS is my grandfather and Maemamma is my grandmother. They lived very interesting lives. |
There is a 30 pesos fee for an indoor photography permit. It is definitely worth the $1.65. We also highly recommend the audio guide.
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| Frida's puppet show - recently discovered after 50 years |
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| Collection of folk art in the dining room |
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| Diego Rivera's bedroom, overalls were his |
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| Kitchen stove - Frida was a terrible cook and learned from Diego's ex-wife. The large bowl was used for making pozole. |
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| Frida's studio |
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| Another view of her studio |
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| Her day bedroom. The mirror above the bed was placed there by her mother for when Frida was bedridden. (The audio guide did not give an explanation of the weird "head in scarf" on the bed.) |
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| Vanity in Frida's night bedroom. The frog urn on the left contains her ashes. |
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| Her studio from the garden |
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| Looking down onto the garden from her day bedroom. |
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| Frida and Diego built this pyramid in the garden |
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| Collection of her corsets, used to help her stand upright. She underwent over 30 surgeries and was in near constant pain. |
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| A special collection of her dresses was on display |
After leaving Casa Azul, we walked around the quaint neighborhood of San Angel. On Saturdays, the plaza holds an art market. Maybe next time.
We headed to
Palacio Nacional, going through mind-numbing traffic.
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| Diego Rivera's masterful mural inside the Palacio Nacional |
We managed to hit all the anniversaries this trip. 2017 is the centennial of the Mexican constitution. There was a small, yet well displayed exhibition on the constitution in the the Palacio.
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| The indoor plaza of the Palacio Nacional. From the outside, we thought it was just another government building. The inside is stunning. |
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| Inside the Palacio Nacional |
Tonight is our last night and we are celebrating at El Balcón del Zócalo. Tequila or mezcal is sure to be included and the on-line menu says "complimentary guacamole." Happy birthday to me!!
I love this post. Her house is absolutely stunning and typical of the Mexico City Hacienda type houses. I think before you took your pictures Frida you should have realized that there is never been a picture of her smiling :-) in addition to the information Mama gave me about the visit with them she told me that she seemed wistful when she looked at the three blonde little girls running around, your mother included.. It was well-known and she'd wanted to have children but could not.
ReplyDeleteI think the fact that your grandmother knew Frida Kahlo is the niftiest thing I've heard in months! Also, I would totally wear that purple blouse - red skirt combination today. She had great taste!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the pics!