Visits

Tetetlán and Mercado el 100

I spent the morning at Tetetlán, Luis Barragán's newly restored Casa Pedregal, in the south of Mexico City. 

In the 1940, the area's vast volcanic landscape (formed by the eruption of the Xitle volcano) inspired Barragán to design Jardines del Pedregal de San Ángel, a residential neighborhood that preserved the natural environment.

The house is one of the largest Barragán ever built, and is now open to the public for the first time. On the site of the former stables is a restaurant, a coffee shop and library. The front courtyard houses a farmer's market every Saturday. 

A few blocks away, Mathias Goeritz's Animal del Pedregal sculpture, lies at the center of a space designed by Barragán to be the neighborhood's main entrance.

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Taller Experimental de Cerámica

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I recently visited the Taller Experimental de Cerámica, which is a few blocks from my home in Coyoacán.

The studio was founded in the 1960's by stoneware pioneer, Alberto Díaz de Cossío. If you have been to Mexico City, and love great Japanse food, you have probably seen their dinnerware in some of the best restaurants in town.

As well as their utilitarian production, Alberto and his daughter, Adriana, create unique art works which are also for sale in their studio shop. Each year, they celebrate an open house with friends, quesadillas, and mezcal. 

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Diego Rivera's Studio

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I took these pictures of Diego Rivera's home and studio a few years ago. It is one of my favorite buildings in Mexico City. The day I visited, the property had been recently renovated and looked particularly striking.

The two buildings were designed by Juan O'Gorman in the 1930's. The white and orange structure was Diego's, and the smaller blue house was Frida's. They lived and worked here for six years, after their three-year stay in the US. 

When Frida's father passed away, she returned to live in her childhood home, the now famous Blue House, in Coyoacán.

Diego painted most of his easel paintings in this studio, and he lived here until his death in 1957.

The property is now a museum. You can see pictures of what it looks like on the inside, on the museum's website.
 

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Fábrica Social: 10 Years

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Last night, my dear friends at Fábrica Social celebrated their 10 year anniversary at Espacio Horizontal, in the Colonia Roma.

Dulce Martínez and Daniela Gremion empower 148 women artisans from indigenous communities across Mexico with fair access to market, and design workshops that allow them to explore their creativity and continue to create their beautiful textiles.

“We protect rural indigenous times, rhythms, spaces and customs so that they continue to exist, and with them the traditional textile techniques of the women artisans who create them each day. ”
— Fábrica Social

It was a treat to see samples from Fábrica's current and past collections, next to the raw materials, natural dyes, and weaving techniques the women use to create them. The best part was meeting the artists in person. Some travelled to Mexico City from Chiapas, Hidalgo and Oaxaca for the first time.

I am a huge fan of this project and I love every piece I own. I hope you get to see their work in person one day, they have two gorgeous shops in Mexico City. In the meantime, check out their Etsy shop and fall in love with their work on Instagram and  Facebook. 

“Texture. Color. Stories that are told in every piece.”
— Fábrica Social
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Ives Klein

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I try to go out once a week with my dad. He is slowly gaining strength and cannot walk yet, but he appreciates short visits to quiet places, and he lives near the National University's Cultural Center, home to the Museum of Contemporary Art.

We wheeled through the Ives Klein exhibit in contemplative silence, my father looking like a rockstar with the sunglasses he wears to shade his eyes from the light.

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Meet my neighborhood: Coyoacán

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My favorite thing to do is to walk the streets with a camera in hand and capture beauty. In Coyoacán, my new neighborhood, this is easy. Everything seems to shout out: look at me, I'm interesting! 

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Day of the Dead

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MUSIBATTY

This morning, I took my dad to the main square of Coyoacán. We decided to honor each of those who are no longer with us, by celebrating life.

Our hearts were filled with images of happy families, ornate food, playful art, and the saturated colors of one of the most festive days of the year.