La Casa Azul, or the Blue House, was the birthplace of iconic artist Frida Kahlo (1907 - 1954), whose beautifully tortured self portraits and passionate, tumultuous life with muralist Diego Rivera have elevated her to the status of legend.
Her home, today one of Mexico City's most popular museums, doesn't have an outstanding collection of her own work, though there are several sketches and less famous pieces to see. Instead, the rooms and gardens - still in much the same state as she left them - offer insight into her life as a wife, lover, artist, and hub of the city's (and Latin America's) socialist intellectual scene during the 1920s and 1930s.
The tender details, from her brushes and canvasses, the pre-Columbian art collected by her husband, and even the prosthetic leg she wore in the months before her untimely death, will touch even casual visitors to the Museo Frida Kahlo.
The Casa Azul, or Frida Kahlo Museum, is located in the relaxed district around Plaza Coyoacán, served by Metro Line 2 (Metro General Anaya) and 3 (Metros Coyoacán and Metro Viveros). With lots of cafés, bars, and inexpensive eats at the massive market nearby, this is a popular spot for Mexican hipsters and international backpackers to compare black nail polish and obscure bands.
After you've explored the Casa Azul, you could walk to the former home of Kahlo's husband, artist Diego Rivera, or that of her lover, communist revolutionary Leon Trotsky, both of which have also been transformed into museums.
