Museo León Trotsky
NileGuide Expert Says:
A riveting and tumultuous piece of Mexican and Russian history.
Address:
Av. Rio Churubusco No. 410, between Calles Gomez Farias and Modelo
Colonia del Carmen, Coyoacán
41000 Mexico City, Mexico
Phone:
+52 5 658 8732
Description:
Soviet revolutionary León Trotsky spent his final years of exile in Mexico City's Coyoacán neighborhood, where he was brutally murdered by an assassin dispatched by archrival Joseph Stalin. Trotsky and his family lived happily (but in constant fear of attack) at Casa Trotsky, a Neo-Gothic style house marred by the menacing gun slits of a watchtower. On August 20, 1941, Ramón Mercador entered Trotsky's study. Stalin's henchman pulled an ice axe from his coat sleeve and plunged it into Trotsky's skull. He died soon after. Curiously, Trotsky raised chickens and rabbits – the coops and hutches remain in the garden today, as well as cactus he planted, which grow around the memorial containing his ashes. Before entering Casa Trotsky, visitors pass through a modern exhibition hall where photographs of Trotsky and his family are displayed. Other popular Coyoacán destinations include Museo Frida Kahlo, Plaza Central, and the Museo de Culturas Populares.
Parking: Limited street parking
Services: Parking, restrooms, publications and souvenirs, library, audiovisual room, vending machines, audio guide in French and English. Call ahead for guided tours.
Additional information: The Trotsky House Museum is owned and operated by the Asylum Rights Institute, which helps people seeking refuge in México today and whose offices are in the adjacent building.
Map: