Local colour in the Place of Coyotes

Why the Place of Coyotes, you might ask? Well, the area of the city where the Casa Azul is located is called Coyoacán, which is Aztec for... The Place of Coyotes!

So on leaving the Kahlo Museum, which incidentally was on London Street, on the advice of a very helpful tourist office guide, we decided to take a stroll down to the Jardin Hidalgo - the local square in the area. The streets are bordered by beautifully preserved neo-colonial buildings, which leant the region a laid back air, and the main street called Allende was thronged with all manner of shops, a market and a panoply of food vendors selling Mexican staples that were being snapped up with alacrity. It seems to me that the Mexicans are always grazing and I felt I should join in. I chose esquites - white corn boiled in stock with herbs and served with mayonnaise, cheese, lime and chilli. Sounds strange and not at all photogenic but absolutely delicious.

We reached the main square which was teeming with people and families out for their Saturday constitutional and the place felt alive. It seemed that we'd started to discover the real Mexico City. The largest edifice was the basilica dedicated to John The Baptist, which proved the maxim that the Church have all the best buildings and keep the money to themselves. It was richly decorated in places with some fine stained glass but the lack of light and increasingly heavy air lent the place a sombreness that I found oppressive and I was pleased to be out of there.

The other notable feature of the area, apart from the many bars and restaurants that were well frequented by the locals, was the Coyote fountain, firmly locating the name Coyoacán in the memory.

A much easier stroll back to the Metro saw the end to our first days adventuring and a well deserved meal of tacos, huaraches, tortas and beer. All in all a fantastic first day in this alluring city.Read more