Next day we were focused and popped just down the road for breakfast at Croasan and were lucky to get the last table in the sunshine. When I ordered a poached egg with mushrooms, bacon and Parmesan I was surprised to find my egg in a bowl surrounded by a wonderful mushroom broth, but I was delighted I’d picked it as it was such a well crafted bowl of yuminess! Chris had a spinach and cheese omelette so was was prepared for the day Popeye style and we even had tunes while we ate.
In 1929 Juan O’Gorman built a house based entirely on functionalism as developed by Le Corbusier. It was the first building in Mexico that implemented a social architecture putting technique before aesthetics and this utilitarian style of building appealed to Diego Rivera, reminding him of the philosophy of the Russian constructivist movement. He commissioned Juan O’Gorman to build a house-studio for him and another for his wife Frida Kahlo, linked by a bridge which was built on the adjacent plot. All three buildings now form one museum.
The first glimpse was of the famous cactus fence surrounding the property, and the vibrant walls beyond.
The main space in Diego’s house was his double height studio, and what a treasure trove it was, filled with personal items and almost as if he had just popped out.
The huge skeletons and other figures are part of his judas collection – papier-mâché figures traditionally burned in Mexico during Holy Week to represent evil or, in this context, to serve as whimsical, satirical art.
Diego had collected folk art since he spent his pocket money on small clay items as a child and he considered it more than just a tradition as it also showed contemporary expression.
Part of his pre-Hispanic collection is here too … and also shelves of pigments, natural pigments which his assistants would grind and mix.
Once the wow factor of walking into the studio settled, we started taking in details of the building – clean lines, metal framed windows, polished grey concrete, wooden floors and exposed clay panels of the ceiling. Colour comes from the denim blue curtains – fabric used for American workwear, and the wooden furniture lacquered olive-green – commonly used to paint pulquerias at the time.
His bedroom was tiny …
… and then up to the roof where exposed functionality provides a striking roofline.
Looking then towards Frida’s house, the bridge that joins them can be seen, and also steps into her house. As I stood waiting to take my photo, I thought how precarious they looked for a woman with mobility issues, but a guide showed me a photo of her standing on the steps, so she did use them. Fortunately, when the window concertinas open, it provides a barrier at the base of the stairs, but I still think H&S would be on the case!
The idea of the linked houses was to live together, but also apart, so they each had studios, and bedrooms but the living area was just in Frida’s house. Here’s a snap. but no belongings remain. She lived here on and off for a couple of years but having seen Casa Azul, I can quite see why she preferred it!
A courtyard links the building.
Finally we looked round O’Gorman’s house, with a concrete spiral staircase to his studio, but again empty, highlighting its clean lines.
Time for some lunch so we walked to the market in San Angel, interested as we went so see what a smart neighbourhood it was, retaining the charm of cobbles, but with properties hidden with large gates, we could only guess at the luxury concealed.
Saturday is market day, with a vibrant art and craft market where we browsed but didn’t buy! We stopped in a cafe, pleased to sit down and ordered cold drinks and cactus tacos.
Coyoacan was also busy when we got back with clowns, dancers and even a wedding.
The town was still buzzing when we went for dinner, with foods stalls that had popped up to line the streets and a night market selling anything and everything. We ate in a small but very cute taco bar down a side street and had the best mexcal margaritas with the tacos.
On the walk back, entertainment was everywhere from a god squad rock band, candy floss art and a man dislocating his shoulder for tips, but you only need a photo of the chinaman!
Off Travelling Together 