Station / Estación # 143: Coyoacan

 This is the first of the final five stations of the MCM Project.  Once upon a time, Coyoacan, meaning ‘place of the coyote’, was a stand alone village.  Now it has been well and truly engulfed by the urban sprawl of the Federal District.  However, Coyoacan still retains a unique identity.  It is a popular part of town for tourists and locals alike, full of museums, cafes, restaurants, quaint plazas and impressive architecture.

Esta es la primera de las últimas cinco estaciones del MCM Project.  Era se una vez, Coyoacan, que significa ‘lugar del coyote’, era un pueblo aparte de la Ciudad de México.  Ahora está sumergido en la extensión urbana del Distrito Federal.  Sin embargo Coyoacan mantiene una identidad única.  Es una parte popular de la ciudad por ambos turistas y lugareños, lleno de museos, cafes, restaurantes, plazas lindas y arquitectura impresionante.

As ever in the streets of Mexico City the ubiquitous Volkswagen Type 1 (beetle) is a feature.  The streets of Coyoacan are no exception.

Como siempre en las calles de la Ciudad de México el Volkswagen Tipo 1 se destaca.  Las calles de Coyoacan no son una excepción.

The highlight of the visit was undoubtedly the Leon Trotsky Museum.  Trotsky lived in Mexico in the late 1930’s and 1940 after being given political asylum by then Mexican President Lazaro Cardenas.  The museum incorporates the house where Trotsky lived until his assassination in his study in August of 1940.

La mejor parte de la visita fue, sin duda el Museo de Leon Trotsky.  Trotsky vivía en México al fin de los años 1930s y 1940 después de recibir asilo político de entonces presidente Lazaro Cardenas.  El museo incluye la casa donde vivió Trotsky hasta su asesino en su estudio en Agosto de 1940.

Trotsky’s study – location of his assassination.

Not far from the Trotsky museum stands ‘La Casa Azul’ (The Blue House), residence of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera and where Trotsky also stayed for a time when he first came to Mexico.  It is also now a museum.  Today I just admired from the exterior.

No muy lejos del museo de Trotsky esta ‘La Casa Azul’, residencia de Frida Kahlo y Diego Rivera.  Trotsky también se quedo un tiempo aqui cuando primero llegó a México.  También es museo.  Hoy solo admiré de afuera.

As I mentioned at the start of this post the architecture in the area is well worth checking out.  These are some examples that caught my eye.

Como mencioné al principio de esta entrada la arquitectura del área vale mucho la pena ver.  Aqui estan algunos ejemplos que me llamaron la atención.

Those of you that have been reading for a while will know that street art has been on of my favourite recurring subject matters.  I like the juxtapositions at play here.

Aquellos que han estado leyendo un rato sabrán que el arte callejero ha sido un tema fotográfico favorito.  En estos me gustan las yuxtaposiciones.


Finally I will leave you with a couple of images that I managed to capture just before heavy rain started to fall, as it is right now as well on this Mexican presidential election day.  After all, the human aspect of things is the most important of all.

For more images of the centre of Coyoacan see my entry for Viveros/Derechos Humanos.

Finalmente te dejaré con un par de imagenes que logré capturar justo antes de que empezara a caer lluvia pesada como también está ahora en este día de elecciones presidenciales en México.  El aspecto humano es lo más importante.

Para ver más imagenes del centro de Coyoacan ve mi entrade por Viveros/Derechos Humanos.

Peter W Davies

8 thoughts on “Station / Estación # 143: Coyoacan

  1. I love wandering around Coyocan. My dad and I have gone to both the Frida Kahlo and Leon Trotsky house many times. I have never really been a fan of Frida Kahlo’s work but my dad seems to like her work.

    1. Thanks for the comment! It’s a great place to wander around with a lot to discover. I’ve been there many times and love going back! Unfortunately yesterday my visit was cut short by torrential rain, hope to get back soon! Hope you’ll follow the conclusion of my project, all the best!

  2. I love Coyocan. An aunt and uncle lived there, and I spent some time with them when I was growing up. My aunt, Ana del Castillo, owned a ballet academy there (it was connected to their house). The house and academy were sold after she died of breast cancer; this was years ago.

  3. Hey dude, I’ve just discovered your blog. I have a love/hate relationship with Mexico City’s metro, but I admit, it’s an awesome system.

    Coyoacan is my favorite neighborhood in el DF. I always take friends here when they are in town for a visit. They always ask to see Frida’s “Casa Azul” though I think Trotsky’s House is better.

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