Back to Coyoacán

One of my favorite areas in Mexico City is the neighborhood of Coyoacán.  It was a pre-Hispanic settlement on the southern shore of the (now vanished) lake which surrounded the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlán.  In Nahuatl, the language of the Aztecs, Coyoacán means "Place of the Coyotes".

Until well into the twentieth century Coyoacán remained a separate town on the outskirts of Mexico City.  Although it has been swallowed up by the capital, it still retains a unique atmosphere.

I had visited Coyoacán a few years ago, but when Alejandro and I returned there for a couple hours on Palm Sunday, I decided to spend some more time exploring the neighborhood.  This morning I took the subway to the Viveros station.  From there I walked south a couple blocks to Avenida Francisco Sosa, one of Coyoacán's most picturesque streets.  The shady avenue is lined with lovely homes, as well as small shops, restaurants and cultural institutions.  Many of the buildings date back to colonial times.

This interesting colonial house with a beautiful courtyard is called "la Casa de Alvarado".  Today it is an archive for the preservation of historic audio recordings. I wondered if the house might have been the home of Pedro de Alvarado, one of the officers with the army of the conquistador Hernán Cortés.  The guards inside weren't able to tell me, but they did tell me that in more recent times it was the home of the famous writer Octavio Paz.

                    Another colonial mansion down the street is today a cultural center.

The Chapel of Santa Catarina dates back to the sixteenth century.

Many of the cross streets are narrow residential lanes called "callejones" or "privadas".  These quiet little streets seem a thousand miles from the hustle and bustle of Mexico City.

Even though we have had strong thunderstorms the last two evenings, some of the jacaranda trees are still hanging on to their blossoms.  The sidewalks beneath them are carpeted with purple petals.

                           Bougainvillea are ubiquitous throughout the neighborhood.

 

The avenue eventually leads to the neighborhood's central plaza and the beautiful sixteenth century church of San Juan Bautista.

  

Alejandro and I had poked our heads in here on Palm Sunday.  He had been surprised that the images and altars had not been covered with draperies as is the custom in Mexican churches during Lent.  However today I saw that they were starting to cover the altars.  I suspect that by Good Friday, everything will be covered.

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                           Most of the church's ornate decoration was still on display.

 

 

 It is said that Mexico City has more museums than any other city in the world.  Some of them are spectacular... and others are underwhelming.  There were two museums in Coyoacán that I had not seen, so I paid them a visit.

First I went to the National Museum of Popular Culture.   Pretty impressive name, but I was in and out in ten minutes. The only thing of interest was a 10 foot high "tree of life" at the entrance.  (Instead, I would recommend the excellent Museum of Popular Arts downtown.)

I passed by the most famous museum in Coyoacán, the "Casa Azul"  (Blue House) where the celebrated painters Frida Kahlo and her husband Diego Rivera lived.  I went to the "Casa Azul" a few years ago, ánd I would normally recommend it.  However today the line to enter the museum stretched down the block.  Unless you're a real Frida fanatic, I'm not sure that it is worth the long wait. (When I was there, I didn't have to wait at all.)

A few blocks away from the "Casa Azul" is the other museum which I had not visited... the Trotsky House.  Leon Trotsky was one of the main leaders of the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia.  When his rival Stalin came to power, Trotsky was forced into exile.  In 1937 he and his wife came to Mexico, and for a time they stayed at the "Casa Azul" as guests of Frida and Diego.  (Trotsky and Frida reportedly had an affair.)  The Trotskys eventually moved to a place of their own.  It was there in 1940 that an agent of Stalin murdered Trotsky.

 The Trotsky House

The windows were all bricked over after an earlier, unsuccessful attempt on Trotsky's life.

This is Trotsky's office where he was murdered,

The assassin, a Spaniard by the name of Ramón Mercader, had gained the confidence of the household by becoming the lover of the sister of Trotsky's secretary.

Mercader pulled an ice pick from his coat and smashed it into Trotsky's skull.

Trotsky's ashes are buried in the garden of the house under a monument engraved with a hammer and sickle.

For those with an interest in history (or an interest in the macabre), the Trotsky House is worth a brief visit if you are in Coyoacán.