La Casa Azul

Months ago I read an article about an exhibit at Frida Kahlo's Casa Azul and I've been looking forward to seeing it ever since. Yesterday was the day! We figured out which metro to take and stopped for some huaraches before getting on the train.

Preparing the food

Our first huaraches! I'm holding a bag of salsa.

Huaraches are are giant tortillas stuffed with refried beans and topped with whatever you choose. Mine had egg, nopales and cheese.

The Mexico City metro is pretty awesome. It's 3 pesos one way and each station has it's own little symbol, which makes navigating the maps really easy. We waited in line for the train headed to Universidad and as the we boarded, I casually brought up the rear. Just as I was about the step onto the train with my friends, the door slammed in my face and my six friends were carried away. The next train came quickly and happened to be less crowded, and we all knew which stop we were going to so no harm, no foul. People sell just about anything on the trains, small hammers, pens, and CDs, were all offered at different times during my 20 minute trip.

I was with a friend who recently had a pretty bad ankle injury so we took a cab from the metro stop to the Casa Azul. Our first cab driver assured us he knew where to go, then stopped a few blocks away and admitted he didn't and had us get into another cab. Once we arrived, I instantly fell in love. The casa is a very fitting vibrant blue with a large open garden in the middle. A number of Frida's art pieces are on display in the first few rooms and then most of the home is displayed just as it was when she and Diego Rivera lived there.

One of Frida's two beds. There is a mirror above the bed which Frida used while painting after her accident. On the bed is her death mask.

The exhibit I had been excited to see was of her clothing. A friend had stored Frida's braces and dresses for 50 years without anyone knowing. They were discovered in 2004 and are on display until November.

 It was fascinating to read about the reasons she may have chosen to wear Tehuana style dresses: they came from her mother's native region of Mexico, Diego liked them, their structure fit well over her braces, the long skirts hid her polio-deformed right leg. There were quotes saying that her arrival was announced with the sound of her jewelry and that children would often ask her "where is the circus?" I also didn't realize how much she influenced various different fashion designers. The exhibit included designs by Jean Paul Gaultier and Givenchy.

Jean Paul Gaultier

Givenchy

 For anyone visiting, I am more than happy to go back!