The Leon Trotsky House Museum, Trotsky Museum, or Trotsky House Museum, () is a museum honoring

Leon Trotsky Lev Davidovich Bronstein ( – 21 August 1940), better known as Leon Trotsky,; ; also transliterated ''Lyev'', ''Trotski'', ''Trockij'' and ''Trotzky'' was a Russian revolutionary, Soviet politician, and political theorist. He was a key figure ...

and an organization that works to promote

political asylum The right of asylum, sometimes called right of political asylum (''asylum'' ), is a juridical concept, under which people persecuted by their own rulers might be protected by another sovereignty, sovereign authority, such as a second country or ...

, located in the

Coyoacán Coyoacán ( ; , Otomi: ) is a borough (''demarcación territorial'') in Mexico City. The former village is now the borough's "historic center". The name comes from Nahuatl and most likely means "place of coyotes", when the Aztecs named a pre- ...

neighborhood of

Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...

. Its official name is Instituto del Derecho de Asilo - Museo Casa de León Trotsky (Right of Asylum Institute – Leon Trotsky House Museum). The center of the complex is the house where Trotsky and his second wife,

Natalia Sedova Natalia Ivanovna Sedova (, ; 5 April 1882 – 23 January 1962) was a Russian revolutionary and author known as the second wife of Leon Trotsky. She wrote on cultural matters pertaining to Marxism. Life Natalia was born in to the family of a ...

, lived from April 1939 to August 1940, and where Trotsky was murdered. The house has been kept as it was at that time, especially the study in which Ramón Mercader killed Trotsky with an

ice axe An ice axe is a multi-purpose hiking and climbing tool used by mountaineers in both the ascent and descent of routes that involve snow or ice covered (e.g. ice climbing or mixed climbing) conditions. Its use depends on the terrain: in its si ...

to the back of the head. Around the house is a garden and high walls with watchtowers. A former handball court—to the rear of the actual house—has been modified and incorporated into a library, contemporary gallery, permanent display, offices, and auditorium. It now serves as the main entrance to the museum on Río Churubusco 410. The property was declared a historical monument by presidential decree in 1982, and the complex was turned into the current museum and asylum institution in 1990, on the 50th anniversary of the assassination.

History

Trotsky’s exile

Trotsky was forced into exile outside the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

in February 1929 because of his criticism of

Joseph Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Dzhugashvili; 5 March 1953) was a Soviet politician and revolutionary who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until Death and state funeral of Joseph Stalin, his death in 1953. He held power as General Secret ...

's government. For the next eight years, Trotsky and his wife, Natalia Sedova, wandered among several countries under surveillance, and later under a death sentence due to Trotsky's persistent political activity against Stalin from exile. Trotsky was pursued by Stalinist agents, and other enemies like

White émigré White Russian émigrés were Russians who emigrated from the territory of the former Russian Empire in the wake of the Russian Revolution (1917) and Russian Civil War (1917–1923), and who were in opposition to the revolutionary Bolshevik com ...

s from the

Russian Civil War The Russian Civil War () was a multi-party civil war in the former Russian Empire sparked by the 1917 overthrowing of the Russian Provisional Government in the October Revolution, as many factions vied to determine Russia's political future. I ...

, at his exile in Turkey from February 1929 to July 1933, in France from July 1933 to June 1935, and in Norway from June 1935 to December 1936.

Diego Rivera Diego Rivera (; December 8, 1886 – November 24, 1957) was a Mexican painter. His large frescoes helped establish the Mexican muralism, mural movement in Mexican art, Mexican and international art. Between 1922 and 1953, Rivera painted mural ...

and

Frida Kahlo Magdalena Carmen Frida Kahlo y Calderón (; 6 July 1907 – 13 July 1954) was a Mexican painter known for her many portraits, self-portraits, and works inspired by the nature and artifacts of Mexico. Inspired by Culture of Mexico, the country' ...

were successful in persuading the

Lázaro Cárdenas Lázaro Cárdenas del Río (; 21 May 1895 – 19 October 1970) was a Mexican army officer and politician who served as president of Mexico from 1934 to 1940. Previously, he served as a general in the Constitutional Army during the Mexican Revo ...

government to give the Trotskys political asylum in Mexico, and Trotsky and Sedova arrived in Mexico in January 1937. From January 1937 to April 1939, the couple lived at

's family home called “La Casa Azul” (The Blue House), which is located in the Coyoacán borough of Mexico City. However, by 1939, Diego Rivera and Leon Trotsky had a falling-out. Some stories state that it was over ideology and Diego's criticism of Trotsky's writing and others state that Trotsky had had an affair with Frida, or a combination of both. The Trotskys then moved to the house on Viena Street in the same district in April 1939, not far from The Blue House. Trotsky's grandson, Esteban Volkov, also lived with Trotsky and Sedova at the Viena Street house from August 1939 to August 1940.

Assassination

While Mexico had an active Communist movement at that time, like elsewhere it was divided between those who supported Stalin and those who opposed him. On 24 May 1940, a failed attempt on Trotsky's life was led by NKVD agent Iosif Grigulevich and Mexican painter

David Alfaro Siqueiros David Alfaro Siqueiros (born José de Jesús Alfaro Siqueiros; December 29, 1896 – January 6, 1974) was a Mexican social realist painter, best known for his large public murals using the latest in equipment, materials and technique. Along with ...

. The group were disguised as police officers and managed to overpower guards, set up machine guns in the house's inner courtyard and began firing at the various rooms of the small house. Those inside survived by hiding under bedroom furniture. Trotsky's grandson was wounded in the foot.

Robert Sheldon Harte Robert Sheldon Harte (1915 – May 24, 1940) was an American Communist who worked as one of Leon Trotsky’s assistants and bodyguards in Coyoacán, Mexico. During the Stalinist attack against Trotsky’s household on May 24, 1940, Harte was abdu ...

, a young assistant and bodyguard of Trotsky, was abducted and later murdered, but the other guards defeated the attackers. This attack prompted the building of the walls that surround the property and the building of guard towers, which gives the property a fortress-like appearance.The next attempt on Trotsky's life, on 20 August 1940, was successful. A Spanish Stalin supporter by the name of Ramón Mercader, under the name of Jacson Mornard and with a Canadian passport, had become the lover of Trotsky's personal secretary, who was a Soviet agent. As such, he gained the household's trust and was permitted on the premises. On that day, Mercader asked Trotsky to look over something he had written, and as Trotsky read the work, Mercader removed an alpine climbing axe from his coat and struck Trotsky in the back of the skull. The blow to Trotsky's head was bungled and failed to kill Trotsky instantly, as Mercader had intended. Witnesses stated that Trotsky spat on Mercader and began struggling fiercely with him, which resulted in Mercader's hand being broken. Hearing the commotion, Trotsky's bodyguards burst into the room and nearly killed Mercader, but Trotsky stopped them, laboriously stating that the assassin should be made to answer questions.Volkogonov, Dmitri (1996). ''Trotsky: The Eternal Revolutionary.'' Free Press. ; p. 466 Trotsky was taken to a hospital, operated on, and survived for more than a day before he died on 21 August 1940, as a result of loss of blood and shock. Mercader was arrested by Mexican police, convicted of murder and spent twenty years in a Mexican prison. When he was released in 1960, Mercader reportedly fled to

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

, then

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

, where he received the

Order of Lenin The Order of Lenin (, ) was an award named after Vladimir Lenin, the leader of the October Revolution. It was established by the Central Executive Committee on 6 April 1930. The order was the highest civilian decoration bestowed by the Soviet ...

. According to some later reports, he would die of cancer in

Havana Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center. The room in which Trotsky was killed remains exactly as it was at that moment, including the papers and the books in their exact positions.

The museum

The current museum was created on 20 August 1990, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the assassination along with the Instituto del Derecho de Asilo y las Libertades Públicas (Institute for the Right of Asylum and Public Liberties). The latter was created to help other political dissidents seeking asylum in Mexico, but it was consolidated with the museum in 1996. The official name of the organization is now the Instituto del Derecho de Asilo - Museo Casa de León Trotsky. The museum receives an average of 17,000 foreign visitors each year, along with 50,000 students from visits organized by the Secretariat of Public Education. The museum is supported only by ticket sales and donations. There is occasional support by the city government such as the renovation of the guard tower. There is also a gift shop and cafe and it is open Tuesday through Sunday, 10am – 5pm.

House

The museum consists of the house that Trotsky lived in, the garden area and the outer walls with guard facilities, located in a quiet, residential neighborhood next to an arroyo that ran parallel to the Churubusco River. ''

La Jornada ''La Jornada'' (''The Working Day'') is one of Mexico City's leading daily newspapers. It was established in 1984 by Carlos Payán Velver. The current editor (''directora general'') is Carmen Lira Saade. As of 2006 it had approximately 287,000 ...

'' newspaper called the atmosphere of the place “real, tense, not with abundance and not always happy.” The complex was declared a historic monument in 1982. The house is small and common for a dwelling built in the early 20th century in the area. One notable exception is a tower topped by a bronze eagle of the type that

Venustiano Carranza José Venustiano Carranza de la Garza (; 29 December 1859 – 21 May 1920), known as Venustiano Carranza, was a Mexican land owner and politician who served as President of Mexico from 1917 until his assassination in 1920, during the Mexican Re ...

used during the

Mexican Revolution The Mexican Revolution () was an extended sequence of armed regional conflicts in Mexico from 20 November 1910 to 1 December 1920. It has been called "the defining event of modern Mexican history". It saw the destruction of the Federal Army, its ...

. It is claimed that it was a gift from Carranza to the house's former owner, a Mister Turatti. Bullet holes from the Siqueiros attack are still on the outer walls. The interior of the house has been kept as it was when Trotsky lived there: the kitchen has its pots and pans, shoes are lined alongside beds, with floors and beds covered by Mexican textiles. There are some bullet holes in the interior as well. The center of the house is Trotsky's study were everything from his glasses, to papers, to books and more are left exactly as they were when Trotsky was attacked.

Garden

The rest of the complex space is taken up by the garden area, which is still maintained with tropical flowers and other plants, such as rare cacti, which Trotsky collected. There are photos in the museum of Trotsky collecting cacti in the Mexican countryside and tending the garden along with the rabbits and chickens which were in the hutches and coops that still exist. The center of the garden contain a stone stele designed by Juan O’Gorman, which contains Trotsky's ashes along with those of his wife. Above the stele is a flagpole with the Soviet flag.

Guards quarters

Along the high outer walls and watchtowers are guard houses and other facilities that have been turned into exhibit halls and other facilities associated with the museum. These rooms display photographs, newspapers more personal effects of Trotsky and more. As a museum, some other buildings were added along the walls which contain photos from Trotsky's lifetime, biographical notes in Spanish and memorabilia such as Trotsky trademark small round glasses. The guards’ house contains a permanent photographic collection containing images of Trotsky's family, his participation in the

Bolshevik Revolution The October Revolution, also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution (in Soviet historiography), October coup, Bolshevik coup, or Bolshevik revolution, was the second of two revolutions in Russia in 1917. It was led by Vladimir L ...

and his family tree. In what were once guest quarters at the end of the garden, hang dozens of black-and-white photos of Trotsky and Natalia accompanied by celebrity friends, such as Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo. Busto de trotsky

Permanent exhibit hall

This contains "a photographic collection that shows Trotsky's family, his participation in the Bolshevik revolution and his family's genealogical tree" As well as personal items, and displays of contextual historical information.

Temporary exhibit halls

There is also an art gallery, which has rotating short term contemporary art exhibitions, installations, and performances by different artists, and sometimes documentary or archival shows. These art shows include works by graffiti artists and tattoo artists. Events have been attended by officials from the city's Public Security agency, the borough of Coyoacán, technical schools and even the Cuban embassy.

Auditorium and library

The auditorium seats eighty and the Rafael Galván library has a collection of over 6,000 volumes mostly on the social sciences, economics and politics.

References

External links

Official siteOlder blog
{{DEFAULTSORT:Trotsky House Museum Museums in Mexico City Leon Trotsky Coyoacán

Trotsky Lev Davidovich Bronstein ( – 21 August 1940), better known as Leon Trotsky,; ; also transliterated ''Lyev'', ''Trotski'', ''Trockij'' and ''Trotzky'' was a Russian revolutionary, Soviet politician, and political theorist. He was a key figure ...

Historic house museums in Mexico

20th century in Mexico City Russian diaspora in Mexico Museums established in 1990 Political museums