Following the Thread

My last post was all about the house (or adjoining houses) that Diego Rivera had custom built in San Angel, for use as a home and studio for himself and Frida Kahlo. The architect/designer of the building was a friend and contemporary, Juan O’Gorman, who was also an artist in his own right. In my research on the Rivera house, I discovered other buildings designed by O’Gorman, one of which I knew I just had to see in person before leaving Mexico.



The building I’m showing you is located on the campus of the prestigious National Autonomous University of Mexico, better known as UNAM, and is the UNAM Central Library built in 1956. The amazing exterior is totally encrusted on all four sides with naturally coloured stones set like a mosaic, depicting the history of Mexico from its beginning in Mesa-America to the present, including the construction of the library itself. Local stones were gathered from every region of Mexico to attain the variety of colours required for the beautiful artwork and each stone has maintained its incredibly vibrant colour over the years, without fading.
There is a lovely side story to this little adventure on my final day in Mexico City that I’d like to share with you.
The previous day, Friday, I was booked to go touring to Puebla and had scheduled my Uber to pick me up on the street in front of my hotel at 8:00 am. When my ride arrived it turned out to be the most delightful young woman named Aurea, and she spoke fluent English, which was not my usual experience with taxis or Uber. We engaged in a wonderful conversation and I found out that she was a chemical engineer and drove Uber for extra income, with multiple jobs a very common occurrence in Mexico. In return, I related some of my adventures to her, including my visit to Frida’s house and she insisted that if I had time I should go to see Diego’ house too. I explained that, as I was running out of days, that I had bumped the Diego Rivera house down the list and was concerned that I wouldn’t be able to schedule rides back and forth to San Angel. That’s when she offered to pick me up the following morning, take me to San Angel, and wait to bring me back to Coyoacán when I was finished touring the Diego house. She even suggested a stop at the Saturday marketplace before heading back, which was most generous.
On Saturday morning, promptly at 9:30 Aurea arrived and we drove to San Angel, where she left me to tour the museum while she ran personal errands around town. She then picked me up with the intention of stopping at the market, but after seeing how crowded it was, I declined and made a request to see the UNAM Library instead. I explained to her that in my excitement I had done some research and found that Juan O’Gorman had also designed the famous library, and wondered how far it was from Coyoacán. I was very pleased to find out that the university was located halfway between San Angel and Coyoacán, and Aurea was thrilled to tell me that UNAM was her university! She hadn’t been back since graduating ten years ago and was very excited to show me around the campus. We had a lovely time, strolling casually among the students, chatting about her uni days, and of course, taking photos of this iconic landmark. It was great to create these memories with my lovely new friend.
As we were driving back to Coyoacán Aurea asked me how I was going to spend the remainder of my final day and I told her I still had some packing to do, but if time allowed I was going to try to find a churro stand as I’d never had one before. Well that turned out to be our last stop before parting ways, and as we ‘cheered’ with our sugar cinnamon churros I thanked her for her charming company and kindness which has left a lasting impression on my heart.
The perfect way to spend my final day in Mexico City!
Love always, carol xox