So I arrived to Mexico City last Saturday. To be completely honest it wasn’t always on the plan, but one of my best friends, Betty, moved to the big city a couple of months ago to become a psychiatrist (she says she’s doing it for my own good, wherever that means) and asked me to come and visit her. I had been declining the invitation since I was in major saving mode for Europe. But after some thinking, I decided a week in the capital couldn’t really do more harm to my already tight budget. And here I am.
I’ve been to Mexico City before, but only for very short periods and never on my own. I’ve traveled solo in the past and to way farther cities, but the capital’s has always been kind of intimidating. You always hear things about how big, how loud, how dangerous it might be. I must confess I was a bit scared to leave the flat on my first day. However, a voice inside my head (that sounded surprisingly similar to Betty’s voice) told me I was being ridiculous, so I got my keys and my camera and got out in the wild.
With a week ahead I had plenty of sights on my bucket list. I wanted to do a book shop crawl, eat my way around the centre and visit some archeological sites (although, if you want to check out the coolest Mexican ruins, you should go to the super amazing blog of my friend Cassie, she’s a British blogger that lives in Mexico and knows more about the country than I do!).
However, Frida Kahlo Museum was definitely on the top. I managed to figure out how to use the subway in this town and only got lost once (OK, twice) on my way to the Blue House.
The Blue House
The Blue House or “La Casa Azul” was the former home of Mexican painters Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera. It’s called blue because literally the whole outside of the place is painted in this colour. Because I insisted in watching just one more episode of Gilmore Girls, I left the flat kind of late and had to queue for about an hour outside the museum. While I was there I found out that I could have bought the tickets online and skip the line. But if I had done that, I wouldn’t have eaten a churro while I was waiting, so I can’t really complain.
The entrance ticket costs $120.00 pesos (around $6.50 USD), but if you are a student or a teacher they make you a discount. If you want to take pictures, you also have to buy a photography pass. It is not compulsory, but I decided to buy it, otherwise I wouldn’t be able to show you this:
The museum holds a permanent exhibition that includes some of the artwork of both painters. You can even see some unfinished sketches and extracts of journals and letters. However, you can also go through the actual house and visit the different rooms that display their original belongings and memorabilia.
The house really honours Mexican culture. Frida and Diego were big fans of the pre-hispanic era and they made an effort to incorporate its style in their home. The clay pots, the Papier–mâché dolls and bright colours take you back in time to a Mexico that precedes even Frida’s own time.
Frida’s Dresses
As I said before, the museum has a permanent exhibition around the house. However, I was lucky enough to visit it while they were holding a temporary exposition with Kahlo’s most iconic costumes.
As some of you may know, Frida caught poliomyelitis when she was six and then she was in a bus accident that broke her spinal column. This left her with what she referred to as a “less than perfect body”. Nevertheless, Kahlo used fashion and clothes as a mean to disguise her physical imperfections and build her identity as an artist.
Frida’s wardrobe consisted in a Tehuana dress, which is a typical piece still worn in southern Mexico. All of her outfits had very long skirts to cover the fact that she had a leg shorter than the other. She also wore very festive blouses and head pieces to direct the attention to the upper part of her body. The pieces were beautiful, but the most shocking part of the exhibition was to see her undergarments. And I don’t mean her underwear.
Because of her disability, Frida had to use corsets and prosthesis underneath her clothes. Although they looked extremely uncomfortable, I loved the fact that she embraced her disease and used it to her advantage. Her style was so iconic that even Vogue Magazine featured some of her outfits in one of its editions.
You visited Frida Kahlo’s Museum… Now what?
The Blue House was an amazing experience. After my visit, I walked around Coyoacán, a bohemian neighborhood nearby the museum. It is a great place to browse among street vendors and food corner shops. I had a delicious coffee at El Jarocho and strolled in the square before facing the subway one more time.
I still have a lot of Mexico City ahead, but I’m sure Frida’s Museum will be one of my favourites. So, if you happen to be in town, make sure to pay a visit to The Blue House.
I guess I’ll see you on the road.
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