In Mexico, the beautiful game finds its home not only in polished stadiums but also in the most unexpected corners of daily life, from highway underpasses to the rim of an extinct volcano.
Fields of Fire and Water
Fourteen‑year‑old Humberto Guadalupe, affectionately called “Messi” by his neighbors, spends his afternoons chasing a dream of professional soccer on a patch of grass that doubles as a community gathering spot.
One of the most striking venues is the so‑called Field of the Gods, a makeshift pitch perched inside the crater of the Teoca Volcano near Mexico City, where the echo of kicks reverberates against basalt walls.
Further south, in the UNESCO‑listed canals of Xochimilco, players hop aboard traditional wooden boats to reach natural grass fields that have become social hubs, though the very setting threatens the fragile axolotl population.
Reuters photographer Raquel Cunha spent three months scouting these scenes, using map apps to locate hidden venues and a drone to capture the contrast between gritty Monterrey neighborhoods and the historic waterways of Xochimilco.
Her lens reveals a nation where hardship, geography and memory are no match for the collective passion that turns any patch of earth into a stage for the sport.