People living in the shadow of the country’s national Azteca Stadium in Mexico City say development plans will add to pressure on water sources and put green spaces at risk
R
ubén Ramírez is no stranger to political battles. As a community leader in Santa Úrsula Coapa, a district in southern Mexico City, he’s become adept at taking on developers and bureaucrats to protect his neighbourhood over the past decade.
His latest fight may be his most ambitious yet: challenging the expansion of Mexico City’s national stadium ahead of the 2026 football World Cup, which he claims neglects the community’s ancient rights.
“The stadium is part of the community’s territory,” says Ramírez, sporting a wide-set sombrero. “It’s the owners, the businesspeople who are going to benefit from the World Cup. What are the community going to see? Nothing.”
