Hola todos,
Today was an excursion day to Coyoacan, a neighborhood about a 30-minute drive outside of the heart of Mexico City. We had timed tickets for the Frida Kahlo Museum, so we set off for that first.
Feeling like transit pros, we grabbed our local bus and set off for Coyoacan. There was one transfer, and I was confident that Google Maps would guide us correctly. But alas, my premature confidence was quickly eroded when the bus stop where we were supposed to catch our transfer didn't exist... Other buses were passing right by us and a few confusedly stopped for us when we waved them down to ask if they went to Coyoacan. They were replying with something to the extent of "that bus [or route or stop] doesn't exist anymore." Nevertheless, we persisted and eventually got to Coyoacan.
Online guides advised that we grab the earliest ticket times possible (10 a.m.) and show up 30 minutes before our timeslot to get in line. We're glad we did, since a substantial line formed and the museum felt pretty crowded after we made our way through.
The Frida Kahlo Museum is in the artist's childhood home in which she also lived as an adult. It's a beautiful U-shaped complex with fountains and green space inside. The museum focuses less on her art and more on her possessions and her life, and on how these tied in to her artwork. The museum had a wide variety of her personal effects on display, with portions of rooms standing just as they were on the day she died. Sketches and rough drafts, diary entries, personal photos, decorative sculptures, and even her wheelchair and back braces.
One of her bedrooms and her kitchen.
The complex's courtyard also had beautiful water features, like this fountain.
After walking around the museum, we decided to do a make-shift walking tour through Coyoacan. We stopped by the Mercado Coyocan, a sprawling indoor market with food stalls, and the artisan market across the street in a local park.
We then explored the Plaza Coyoacan, teeming with artisans selling their wares, musicians, and families. It was a lovely area to walk through and check out the small shops and houses on side streets. We also ended up finding a bench and sitting in the plaza for probably a few hours just people-watching and soaking in how the locals seem to spend a Sunday afternoon.
One entrance to the plaza.
Coyoacan is named for the coyotes that used to populate this area. This fountain in the middle of the Plaza pays homage to the region's namesake.
The Parroquia San Juan Bautista is a Fransican church that was built in the mid-1500s. Or, at least, that is when construction started. I think they finished over 100 years later in the early 1700s. It had a very austere exterior, but was gorgeous on the inside.
Big food stall culture here--and the streets were increasingly taken over by tents and stands as the day went on.
Bistec taco and chicken flautas for my lunch today.
As the day went on, more and more performers put on shows in the plaza. This was a cultural dancing troupe.
After spending most of the day in Coyoacan, we decided to finish it there, too--a nightcap at a little cafe a few blocks from the plaza.
This was one of my favorite days in Mexico City thus far--Coyoacan is small enough to be manageable and has a distinct life of its own separate from Frida Kahlo's history there. There was plenty to do and see, and as we were leaving, the nightlife was just picking up.
Besos,
Tina the ExploraDora
Step count: 60,654
Taco count: 8
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