Cervantino!

The Cervantino International festival is held each year in Guanajuato, a small city about 3 hours from DF. The festival takes place for about 3 weeks in October and hosts a range of cultural events. We saw lots of cool artwork and a dance performance on Saturday night. Not as much music as I had been hoping for, but I think we were just in the wrong places at the wrong times. The performance was interesting to say the least. It was a wordless portrayal of themes of suffrage and power featuring about 10 nearly naked people painted white... and eventually gold. Pretty sweet.

Guanajuato is also the birthplace of Diego Rivera. We visited his childhood home and got a really cool take on the development of his artistic style over the years.

I especially enjoyed Guanajuato for its colonial architecture and unique city style. Many of the buildings are built atop tunnels that provide the towns roadways. Reminded me a lot of Cusco, Peru actually. Definitely going back for another visit soon.

Museo de Arte Moderno

Went to the MAM museum in Mexico City this weekend. Amazing collection of Mexican artists. I especially enjoyed seeing Las Dos Fridas and the surrealist works of Alice Rahon.

Oaxaca

At the advice of a Mexican friend, Carlota and I headed to Oaxaca City midway through her visit. About a 7 hour bus ride, we were assured that it would be worth it for the art, food, and beautiful zocalo. We were not disappointed. Arriving late on Wednesday night, we woke up early on Thursday to explore. We began at the historic Zocalo, or town center, pictured here.

Very pretty. After grabbing a bite to eat, we start off to the art galleries. We were pleasantly surprised to find some great art at the Museo de Arte Contemporanio de Oaxaca (MACO) and the Centro Fotográfico Manuel Alvarez Bravo. I especially enjoyed the photography exhibition Doble Fantasía which featured incredible before and after photos on their own and manipulated by talented artists. Here is one of my favorites:

árboles púrpuras y casas azules

On Sunday morning, we got up early to embrace our inner tourist. I had a plan for the day, must've inherited that trait from my dad, to go to Coyoacan, la casa azul, and the market. I have mastered the DF subway system at this point. How could you not for only 2 pesos/ride? We started at the Coyocan Mall where we conquered Zara in about an hour and each had prized finds that could not go left unpurchased. :)

After the shopping itch was relieved, we headed for the museum and market. About a 25 minute walk, we lingered under these lovely purple trees to take a midway break. They are by far my favorite in Mexico. Finally, we arrived at Casa Azul, the house of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera between 1941 and 1954. It was amazing. They were so in love and you could feel it in the walls. Probably helped that the museum posted photos of them together all over the place, but still. That much talent under one roof is pretty incredible. The house itself was a giant square with a large courtyard in the middle. Artwork like this Diego Rivera sculpture could be found in every crevice.