México - The Blue House of Pain and Power

 June 25-26

Hello everyone!

For the next month, I will be based in one of the Americas’ most populous nations: the United States of…Mexico! Actually called the United Mexican States but almost fooled you, yeah?

The many faces of Frida Kahlo

By land mass, Mexico is the 14th largest county in the world

I’ve said to many people since moving to El Salvador almost two years ago that I don’t really know much about Mexico. Sure, I’ve heard of the stereotypes of tacos, sombreros and “Spring Break woo” destinations on the coast. But what of the people? Who is a famous Mexican?

Sombreros

Churros, which I always find slightly disappointing

One of Mexico’s most famous people is a lady called Frida Kahlo. I’ve heard of her and am aware that she was a popular artist. However, I wasn’t exactly sure why she is so well-renowned across the world. As she was from Mexico’s seemingly never-ending sprawl of a capital city, I thought this would be a chance to get educated about her life and work.

Her dad was a photographer which means there is plenty of evidence of her life

I had found this book in the school library. When I started
reading it, I realised that it was aimed at 5-7 year olds.
Still, I learnt some important things from it!

Frida Kahlo has arguably become more prominent since her death in 1954. She lived her life in a house in the suburb of Coyoacán, in the south of Mexico City. This house, which itself is a lovely place, is now home of the Museum of Frida Kahlo, and one of the city’s most popular attractions.

It may not look far from pink to red, but took
over 30 minutes by public transport and walking

The entrance: quiet before 11am

Its popularity and small nature means that you have to reserve a spot quite far in advance. Luckily I was aware of this and able to get a ticket for entry in the first 15 minutes of the house being open. Mexico seems to value its teachers, which meant my ticket was only about a quarter of the cost of a regular ticket.

Frida and Diego Rivera lived here for those dates

The line was speedy and orderly

The house has a lot of informative boards (unlike another place I visited the day before, they did have English text) interspersed between documents, pictures, paintings and trinkets connected to Frida Kahlo and her husband, another famous Mexican called Diego Rivera. 

Fruit were common targets for painting

Collection of her paints and brushes

I did feel that some important information is somewhat glossed over, so having that prior knowledge from a book for 5-7 year olds was actually helpful. For those of you who don’t know, Frida Kahlo had medical challenges throughout her life. She developed polio aged 6 and was in a terrible traffic accident aged 18, the latter of which forced her to stay in bed for months. She had a mirror installed so she could start to paint self-portraits, which helped refine her art skills.

This leg brace was used for a lot of her life: her right
leg had to be amputated shortly before her death 

The mirror is cleverly positioned at the top

A lot of her art is said to stem from the pain of her life. One of the reasons she is seen as famous in the art world is for this personal touch in her paintings. They also tap into pre-hispanic culture.

The Two Fridas, painted in 1939, depict different aspects of her personality

Many figures like these can be found around the house

Having learnt about Frida Kahlo by visiting her very ‘Blue House’ - complete with lovely garden - I think that her almost iconic standing is due to her success in spite of her pain, her artistic themes and the simple fact that she was a woman in a historically machismo nation. Whilst she has been more successful since her death (she only held one solo exhibition of her art in Mexico whilst alive), the fact that we know so much about her shows her ability to ultimately triumph through adversity.

Frida Kahlo died aged 47 in 1954

Garden: wild!

The neighbourhood in which the Blue House is found, Coyoacán, is a lovely, relatively peaceful suburb within the land that makes up Mexico City, a metropolis inhabited by a whopping 22.5 million people. Depending on what source you use, it is either the largest or second-largest urban area in the western hemisphere. Yet as you sit in one of Coyoacán’s sleepy parks, watching the fountain dance over statues of wolves, statistics like that can seem a world away.

Behind this sign is the 'House of Cortes', which you'll read about later in this blog

This pretty church was created soon after the Spanish arrival

The wolves are also known as coyotes. You may notice that ‘coyote’ looks similar to the name of the borough. In the Aztec language, Coyoacán translates as “place of the abundant coyotes.” The historic importance of this animal, which used to be found in this area of the country, can be seen in the fact that one of the most ancient Aztec deities, called Huehuecoyotl, was known as ‘Old Coyote’. 

They are no longer found in the neighbourhood, obviously

Hungry life the wolf...

Some would argue the real coyotes were the Spanish, who came to Mexico in 1519 and conquered what has become Mexico City in 1521. Their leader, Hernan Cortes, had a house in this neighbourhood. On the main plaza is a building called the ‘House of Hernan Cortes’, which strongly suggests that he lived there. In all likelihood, he didn’t. Though there may have been a structure there before, this building was created in the eighteenth century.

A plaque which may misrepresent the truth

Did Cortes eat a quesadilla? Probably not.
Cheapish (just over $2) and very greasy, this.

Someone who definitely did live in this neighbourhood is the famous Soviet Leon Trotsky. He escaped Stalin’s clutches by moving out of the USSR, ultimately landing in this southern part of Mexico City. He didn’t move on; instead, Trotsky was brutally murdered with an ice axe by a Stalin agent in 1940. His house can be visited.

Rumour is that Trotsky actually had an affair with Kahlo

Artwork on the edge of the neighbourhood
suggests an edgy, possibly revolutionary vibe 

He had lived briefly in the Blue House with Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera. A lot of aspects of Coyoacán lead back to these two influential artists, the former of whom I am happy to have learnt a little more about in her striking house.

Cool Kahlo

This was in the kitchen of the Blue House

Apparently this is one of Kahlo's most famous paintings,
completed months before dying. The watermelon
is inscribed with 'Viva la Vida': live life.

Love you all,

Matt