Today was devoted to Diego and Frida.  We began with a visit to the National Palace, across the plaza from our hotel, where we viewed Diego Rivera's  monumental murals depicting the history of the Mexican people.  Below is a photo of one of the walls of the grand staircase where pre-Hispanic Mexico is depicted and the life of the Aztec god Quetzalcoatl.  Along the second floor colonnade are eleven more scenes of peoples from throughout Mexico engaged in daily life.  

 



Next on our itinerary was the Frida Kahlo Museum, known as the Casa Azul (Blue House) where she was born and lived, painted and died.  The outside of the house is bright blue - see below.  Only a couple of her paintings were on display but the house and garden were charming.  (Photos were not permitted.)  Throughout the house were paper mache skeletons like the ones below - some were life size while others miniature.  At the same time that they were macabre, they were lively in color and decorative patterns.  I found them intriguing.



We wrapped up the day with a visit to the Dolores Olmedo Museum where we viewed an extensive collection of Diego's work and several paintings by Frida in a beautiful setting of buildings surrounded by gardens with numerous peacocks.  Olmedo, a wealthy and independent woman, was a devoted patron of Diego's.  She apparently did not think much of Frida as mentioned in this NY Times obituary.  http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9807E4DD1E3BF931A3575BC0A9649C8B63