Frida and Diego undoubtedly had one of the most tumultuous marriages in the canon of art history. Their work has impacted politics on the world stage and defined the Mexican Modernism movement. During your Frida Kahlo Museum Tour with a Context expert, you’ll explore the house where their lives took many dramatic turns. After marveling at the exclusive paintings that adorn La Caza Azul, your expert will lead you through the nearby home of Leon Trotsky. Our time together will conclude with a walking tour of the Coyoacán neighborhood, weaving our way through street vendors to follow the footsteps

Your experience begins from the arched doorways into the Frida Kahlo Museum, where we’ll pause in the lush courtyard to set the stage for the tour. From there, we proceed through the Caza Azul – which offers us the opportunity to explore gallery spaces as well as the kitchens, living spaces, and bedrooms once occupied by Frida, Diego, and their family. Many of the portraits and unique works hanging within Caza Azul have never gone on loan to museum exhibitions or left Mexico City. 
 
Dozens of the artists’ most iconic works were created within these deep blue walls, and today’s galleries offer a glimpse into the studio equipment, clothes, and trinkets that brought her comfort. We’ll contextualize the life she built with Diego, the affairs they each entertained, the influence of her childhood Polio case, and a horrifying bus accident that occurred in 1925. From there, we explore a collection of Frida’s most iconic fashion moments, curated by Vogue. 

Next, we’ll take a stroll through the Coyoacán neighborhood to reach the former home of exiled Marxist and theorist Leon Trotsky. Due to its historical preservation, it stands remarkably the same as it did when he was assassinated onsite in 1940. Our expert will contextualize the rocky political climate of the 1920s-40s and how Mexican elite like Frida and Diego— devoted to communism and confidants of Trotsky— helped steer the governance of Mexico. 

Occupying land once inhabited by Ancient Aztec communities, the musical and bohemian atmosphere that flows through Coyoacán’s traditional Mexican Market and main plaza is not to be missed. If your group is interested, we will see the exteriors of homes that formerly belonged to important artists and writers throughout history. To name a few: Luis Buñuel, Jorge Ibargüengoitia, David Alfaro Siqueiros, Miguel Ángel de Quevedo, Dolores del Río, Emilio “Indio” Fernández, Manuel Álvarez Bravo and Octavio Paz - all once called Coyoacán home. We might pause for an elote or churro before proceeding towards the Callejón del Aguacate (a cobblestoned alley with beautiful street art & a shrine to the Virgin Mary), Jardín Centenario, and the Parroquia San Juan Bautista – a breathtaking cathedral. 

By the tour's conclusion, we will have emerged with a better understanding of the lives of famous lovers, artists, and activists. We’ll have walked in their footsteps in the markets of Coyoacán, exploring the key sites that paint the colorful picture of these revered characters.

To gain a deeper understanding of Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo’s interest in Mexico’s pre-Columbian past, take our Museum of Anthropology Crash Course.