I arrived in Mexico City thinking I was a Frida Kahlo superfan – my main portal was the monobrow, the flower crown and the Tehuana dresses, which have become her trademark. Yet, five days later, following what I loosely christened the “Frida trail” – taking in the places where she lived, worked and is represented posthumously – it became evident that there was so much more to the icon than I had realised.
Beginning at Museo Frida Kahlo in Coyoacan, also known as Casa Azul (blue house), my first impression was of the street sellers briskly trading in flower crowns outside the famous cobalt-coloured walls. I had booked the first entry slot of the day, at 10am (noting that it is closed on Mondays) and was keen to start my pilgrimage at what was both the artist's birthplace and her final residence.
