Frida Kahlo and the Casa Azul, Coyoacán
The Museo Frida Kahlo — universally known as the Casa Azul, or Blue House — is one of Mexico City's most visited cultural sites and the primary reason many visitors make the journey south to the neighbourhood of Coyoacán. The house, painted in deep cobalt blue, was Kahlo's birthplace in 1907 and her home for much of her life until her death in 1954. It has operated as a museum since 1958.
The Museum
The museum preserves the house in a form close to how Kahlo and Diego Rivera — her husband and fellow artist — left it. The collection includes Kahlo's studio, her personal belongings, clothing, jewellery, letters and medical equipment reflecting the physical difficulties she lived with following a serious bus accident in 1925. Pre-Hispanic artefacts collected by Kahlo and Rivera are also displayed. The house and garden give a strong sense of how the two artists lived and worked. The official museum site is museofridakahlo.org.mx. Advance tickets are strongly recommended; the museum is popular and timed-entry tickets are available through the official booking site at boletos.museofridakahlo.org.mx.
Coyoacán as a Neighbourhood
Coyoacán — from the Nahuatl for 'place of coyotes' — is one of Mexico City's older settlements, predating the Spanish colonial period. It has a distinct pace from the city centre: cobbled streets, a colonial-era central plaza, markets, cafés and a residential neighbourhood feel. The Anahuacalli Museum, also in Coyoacán, houses Diego Rivera's substantial collection of pre-Columbian art in a building Rivera designed himself in a style drawing on ancient Mesoamerican architecture. Leon Trotsky lived in Coyoacán from 1939 until his assassination in 1940; his house, near the Casa Azul, is also open as a museum.
Getting to Coyoacán
Coyoacán is in the southern part of the city. The nearest metro station is Viveros (Line 3) or General Anaya (Line 2), both requiring a short walk or local bus connection to the museum. Metrobús services also reach the area. Journey time from the Centro Histórico by public transport is typically 30 to 45 minutes depending on connections.
Sources: Frida Kahlo Museum - Wikipedia • Anahuacalli Museum - Wikipedia • Museum - Museo Frida Kahlo Official Site • Frida Kahlo Casa Azul Museum Tickets - Official Booking • 26 Best Things to Do in Mexico City - Conde Nast Traveler