We were most surprised to pull the curtains and see a little drizzle, the first rain we’d seen in a month, but it soon dried up. It remained overcast and the day was cool, but with a flight to catch later that suited us fine.
I always like to do a bit of background reading and this trip read a novel by Barbara Kingsolver called The Lacuna. It tells the life of Harrison William Shepherd, a writer raised between Mexico & the US who becomes entangled with real historical figures such as Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, and later serves as a secretary to Leon Trotsky who was given asylum in Mexico after his exile from Russia.
Trotsky initially lived with Diego & Frida at Casa Azul but later moved to a house close by which could be more secure. We saw his house where is he buried …
… the offices from which he continued his campaign against Stalin …
… and his bedroom complete with armoured doors.
Garden pics show the high walls and guard posts, but it was not enough as he was later assassinated by a soviet agent.
The last place to visit was the National Museum of Popular Culture which showcases Mexico’s cultural and ethnic diversity …
… and outside is a Tree of Life honouring the 500th anniversary of the arrival of Columbus.
Exhibits included an exploration of Our Lady of Gualaloupe in art …
… which even gave us a chance to make our own image …
… nativity scenes made of many materials …
… and art made by women.
This huge graffiti style mural in the courtyard called Weavers of Dreams, shows the evolution of Mexican folk art which can now be influenced by pop-art like comics and robots.
As we left, we could hear rhythmic drumming, and as we reached the plaza, we found a group of maybe 200 Concheros or Aztec dancers outside the church, using dance and ritual to connect with their indigenous roots, with an offering of plants and flowers in the centre … a spectacular finale for our trip.
The main thing we’ve learnt is that they can be big or small, flat or folded, crispy or soft and called tacos, enchiladas, tostadas, quesadillas, sopes, tlayudas, chilaquiles, burritos … but they are all just tortillas, the one thing all Mexicans have in common apart from Our Lady of Guadeloupe.
We’ve tried the lot – and that’s before we get onto the filling or topping or sauce – so you can see why a month just wasn’t enough to try them all!
It wasn’t until we were home that we learned of the cartel violence breaking out when El Mencho, Mexico’s most wanted man, was fatally injured during capture by the military. Concentrated in western states, tourists were asked to stay inside and some flights were cancelled, so we timed our return perfectly.
The one thing we missed was the Museo Dolores Olmedo with its extensive collection of paintings by Diego and Frida as it has been closed since Covid. The only bright side is that 14 works are coming to Tate Modern in the summer for ‘Frida – Making of an Icon’ so that’s something to look forward to.
Our taco trail ticked all the boxes, including lots of pyramids, colonial towns, arts & crafts, margaritas and sunshine. What’s more, all has gone according to plan with fab buses which were more spacious than an aeroplane!
Despite limiting ourselves to carry on to make life simpler, we still had room to bring back our very own woven coffee mats, a whistle that sounds like a jaguar, chocolate, the mezcal miniatures we didn’t actually drink and a turquoise spoon that will go beautifully on the kitchen wall and remind us of Casa Azulejo and Frida Kahlo.
And it has definitely been slow enough, with space and time to take it all in and enjoy la buena vida … the good life!
Off Travelling Together 