From the outside, La Casa Azul is a simple structure in the Coyoacan district that would likely be overlooked if not for its striking shade of blue. But beyond the sky-colored concrete lies a world that once brought two of Mexico’s most famous artists into contact with Marxist revolutionary Leon Trotsky.

Before Trotsky ever made his way to Mexico City, La Casa Azul was already a hotbed of intellectual activity, and was the childhood home of Frida Kahlo. It was in La Casa Azul - bedridden after a bus accident that left her in pain for the rest of her life - that she learned to paint,.

After her painting began to take off, La Casa Azul really began to take shape. After marrying Diego Rivera, Kahlo and her husband became friends with Trotsky, who had begun a life of exile in Mexico. During his time in Mexico, Trotsky spent two years with his wife at La Casa Azul and even allegedly had an affair with Kahlo when her relationship with Rivera was on the rocks.

Kahlo also died in the home and in 1958, her husband donated it to be turned into a museum dedicated to her life and works, the museum offers visitors an intimate look within the walls, some of which were actually modified by Rivera who studded them with volcanic rock and ceramics.

Along with their artistic additions to the house and a pre-Columbian courtyard pyramid replete with some Aztec and Toltec artifacts, the museum also features a look at the husband and wife’s history, and showcases a famous inscription left behind by the tempestuous couple. It reads simply “Frida and Diego lived in this house – 1929-1954”