Happy Birthday Frida KahloEdited by Madelyn Miller, the TravelLadyMEXICO CELEBRATES 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF FRIDA KAHLO’S BIRTH  June 6th marks the 100th birthday of Frida Kahlo, the acclaimed artist and feminist icon born in Mexico City in 1907. To commemorate her 100th birthday and legacy, Mexico City is hosting several important events in her honor including an exhibition at Casa Azul, the house Kahlo grew up in, and a retrospective of her artwork in Mexico City.
Commemorating the life and legacy of the artist with special events The retrospective will be taking place in the Fine Arts Palace in Mexico City and will be the largest comprehensive exhibit of Kahlo’s work ever. The most recent international exhibition took place in 2005 in London and compiled 87 pieces of her work. The Fine Arts Palace exhibition, however, will display 354 pieces of her works on loan from Detroit, Miami, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Nayoga, Japan.  The exhibit, slated to open on June 13 until August 19, will have one-third of her artistic production, manuscripts and 50 letters that have not been previously displayed.
“Frida Kahlo is essential to our Mexican culture and art history,” commented Francisco Lopez Mena, CEO of the Mexico Tourism Board. “Her legacy is carried on worldwide and people from all over the world journey to Mexico to see her work and where she lived,” added Lopez Mena.  Every year thousands of visitors flock to the city to see her artwork and experience first-hand where she lived. For instance Tia Stephanie Tours, based out of Michigan, will be offering a special “Frida Kahlo Anniversary Tour” in Mexico City from August 10 – 17. This special itinerary includes visits to the National Museum of Anthropology, the chinampas or Floating Gardens of Xochimilco, a day trip to Puebla and Cholula to see the majolica style Talavera tile and a performance of the Ballet Folklorico. There will also be guided tours of the great murals of Mexican artists Rivera, Orozco, and Siquieros, and dining at some of Mexico City’s top-rated restaurants and eateries.
 Also during the month of August, the Casa Azul, located in the southern Mexico City neighborhood of Coyoacan, and now the Frida Kahlo Museum, will be holding a special exhibit of letters from Diego and a collection of wardrobe items recently found at Casa Azul. Anthropologist and curator, Marta Turok will discuss the importance of indigenous dress in cultural diversity and heritage. For more information on the tour, please go to www.tiastephanietours.com.
MEXICO CELEBRATES 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF FRIDA KAHLO’S BIRTH  In May of last year, Frida Kahlo’s Roots painting made history at a Sotheby’s auction. The painting was sold for US$5,616,000, the highest amount ever paid for a Latin American work of art at an auction. Roots, 1943, oil on metal, one of the most beautifully detailed works from Kahlo’s most celebrated period, had never before appeared on the public market.
The celebrated painter depicted the indigenous Mexican culture in her work by combining surrealism, symbolism and realism, was married to Mexican muralist painter, Diego Rivera, and was an active communist who had a torrid affair with Leon Trotsky, the Bolshevik revolutionary and Marxist theorist.  Kahlo’s unique and highly personal artistic expression was largely derived in part from a tragic bus/trolley accident she was involved in and her subsequent physical and mental pain; along with the anguish of her inability to have children. Her tumultuous marriage to Diego Rivera and her overtly bisexual gender also influenced her work.
Kahlo was also known for her extravagant display of rich and colorful indigenous clothing from regions throughout Mexico. She embraced and honored the cultural heritage of her native Mexico by wearing the regional dress from Oaxaca, such as Tehuantepec and Amusgo. In the last three decades Kahlo has gained admiration from around the world, which resulted in the 2002 movie about her life starring Salma Hayek, which helped to ignite an even stronger interest in the life and work of the artist. RECENT MEXICO STORIES BY MADELYN MILLERLos Cabos Shutterbug
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http://www.travellady.com/Issues/January07/3800ADVENTUREHUMMER.htm BEST MAP Hammond International
Mexico and Central America
www.hammondmap.com GUIDEBOOKS FROMMERS MEXICO 2006
(comes with foldout map)
By David Baird and Lynne Bairstow
Published by Wiley Inc
www.frommers.com MEXICO: HEALTH AND SAFETY TRAVEL GUIDE
By Robert H. Page MD and Curtis P. Page MD
Including a comprehensive directory of the best hospitals and English Speaking Doctors
Published by MedToGo
info@medtogo.com INSIGHT GUIDES MEXICO
Extremely well organized with lots of practical tips
Langenscheidt Publishers
www.insightguides.com A TRAVEL GUIDE TO THE JEWISH CARIBBEAN AND SOUTH AMERICAN
By Ben G. Frank
A practical, anecdotal, and adventurous journey through historic Jewish Caribbean and South America including Kosher restaurants, cafes, synagogues, and museums, plus cultural and heritage sites. LET’S GO MEXICO
Edited by Anthony Gabriele
ST.MARTIN’S PRESS
www.letsgo.com Lonely Planet Mexico
Well organized with great pictures and maps
Terrific section on shopping
www.lonelyplanet.com EYEWITNESS TRAVEL GUIDES MEXICO
DK PUBLISHING, INC
WWW.dk.com FOLK WISDOM OF MEXICO
By Jeff M. Sellers
Proverbs turn truth into Poetry
www.chronicebooks.com TRAVELERS TALES GUIDES
MEXICO
Edited by James O’Reily and Larry Habegger MEXICAN DAYS
Journeys into the Heart of Mexico
By Tony Cohan
www.broadwaysbooks.com WHERE TO STAY Marquis Reforma
Paseo de la Reforma 465 Col. Cuauhtémoc. México, D.F. 06500
T: (52) 55 5229-1200 F: (52) 55 5229-1212 Toll free from the US 1(800) 235-2387
www.marquisreforma.com Hotel Nikko Mexico
Campos Eliseos No. 204, Col. Polanco
Chapultepec, 11560 Mexico, D.F.
Tel: 52-55-5283-8700
Fax: 52-55-5280-9191 Hotel Galería Plaza / Brisas Hotel & Resorts Hamburgo 195. Col Juárez México DF. 06600 Tel (55) 52 30 17 11 Fax (55) 52 08 03 34 Mexico 01-800-227-4727
WWW.brisas.com.mx WHERE TO EAT La Jolle in the Marquis Reforma. Au Pied de Cochon, is an original French bistro atmosphere that is open 24 hours a day offering traditional French cuisine featuring seafood and other imaginative dishes. Located in the Presidente Intercontinental Best Driver/Guide Eduardo Nieto Villalobos “Lalo”
5679.8116 home
Cell 044-55-1954-6734 BEST MARKET Mercado Sabado BEST ADVICE Don’t hail a cab. (Kidnapping is no joke.) Have the hotel or restaurant arrange a safe ride. And beware the alcohol consumption BEST PLACE FOR PEOPLE WATCHING Cafe culture meets gallery chic in Condesa, the Mexico City neighborhood that’s become the new oasis for young bohemia. GREAT GUIDEBOOKS INSIGHT POCKET GUIDE MEXICO CITY
APA Publications
www.insightguides.com LONELY PLANET MEXICO CITY'
By John Noble
www.lonelyplanet.com MOON HANDBOOK MEXICO CITY
By Chris Humphrey and Joe Cummings
Avalon Travel Publishing
www.moon.com EAT SMART IN MEXICO
A travel Guide for Food Lovers
By Joan & David Peterson
Ginko Press
www.gingkopress.com LIVE BETTER SOUTH OF THE BORDER
By Mexico Mike Nelson
Fulcrum Publishing
www.fulcrum-books.com ON MEXICAN TIME
By Tony Cohan
An American writer and his wife find a new home-- and a new lease on life--in the charming sixteenth-century hill town of San Miguel de Allende, Mexico BEST BOOK ON GARDENS A stunning collection of the gardens and landscapes of Mexico PARAÍSO MEXICANO: Gardens, Landscapes, and Mexican Soul (Clarkson Potter/Publishers, March 2002) by Marie-Pierre Colle. BEST SOUVENIRS OF MEXICO legal drugs. I always get Retin-A for myself and friends. I know people who also buy antibiotics and other prescription drugs that are available over-the-counter in Mexico Damiana. A sweet liquor believed to be an aphrodisiac. I think it works because it is so yummy you drink too much. And the bottle could be a collector’s item, it is shaped like a voluptuous nude woman Mexican sea salt. Easily available in supermarkets. A wonderful gifts for gourmet foodie friends. Other food gifts include mountain grown coffee, Mexican vanilla, and sweets made of tamarindo and coconut. MOST REQUESTED THINGS TO BRING BACK FOR FRIENDS RETINA- if you are old enough to need it, you know what it is and will appreciate that it costs about 90% less if you buy it in Mexico. If you have lots of friends who want it, it may be worth a trip to Wal-Mart. But call ahead and tell them you want to order some, the day I was there they only had 3 tubes in stock. I had had four disappointed friends. Kahlua Mezcal with a worm MY FAVORITE MEXICAN DRINK Dirty banana (recipe compliments of Dorado Pacifico Ixtapa) ½ oz. condensed milk ½ oz. coconut cream ½ oz coffee liquor 1 oz. brandy ½ banana
Combine all ingredients and blend with ice
Serve in tall glass garnished with a banana slice TO GET A TASTE OF MEXICO AT HOME CULINARY MEXICO
By Daniel Hoyer
Gibbs Smith Publisher
www.gibbs-smith.com LA COMIDA DEL BARIO
By Ron Sanchez
Latin-American cooking in the USA
Sanchez is one of the cohosts of MELTING POT on Food Network
Clarkson Potter Publishers
www.randomhouse.com
www.clarksonpotter.com A YUCATAN KITCHEN
By Loretta Scott Miller
Regional recipes from Mexico’s Mundo Maya
Pelican
www.pelicanpub.com SPEAK LIKE A NATIVE HIDE THIS SPANISH BOOK
Berlitz
The cover gives this warning: Highly inflammatory text inside, so not open near Spanish teachers, not for classroom use. Inside, you will find the lingo on sex—before, during and after, and fashion trends and styles.
www.berlitzbooks.com/hidethisbook.htm LISTEN TO THE SOUNDS OF MEXICO LATIN PLAYGROUNDS
A Fiesta of upbeat Latin American music for children and families
Putumayo World Music
www.putumayo.com MEXICO
Savor the spicy and romantic flavors of Mexican music from the “sones” of Veracruz to the “boleros” of Oaxaca
www.putumayo.com MUSIC FROM THE COFFEE LANDS
Melodic, uplifting Latin and African songs are the essence of this musical journey. Get a cup of coffee, sit back and enjoy this music from the “coffee lands”
www.putumayo.com A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this Cd will be contributed to Coffee Kids, an International non-profit organization established to improve the quality of life for children and families who live in coffee-growing communities around the world. Madelyn Miller is a travel and food writer who loves Mexico. Read her stories on www.travellady.com, www.carladynews.com, www.chocolateatlas.com, www.cocktailatlas.com, www.teaAtlas.com and http://www.americanwinery.com/contributor/writer/28 | 