Mexico City is fully in the grip of World Cup fever. Mexican flags drape balconies and bicycles, giant murals of players tower over streets, and conversations in parks, cafes, and markets have been taken over entirely by football. For the third time in history, the Mexican capital is welcoming the world — and the city feels electric.

Fan zones are taking shape across the city, marigold flowers splash vivid orange across neighbourhoods, and the energy in the air is impossible to ignore. But beneath the celebration, a very different message is also being broadcast to the world.

133,000 missing people

At the Angel of Independence — one of Mexico City's most iconic landmarks — hundreds of laminated portraits line the base of the monument. Each photograph shows a face: a man, a woman, a child who has disappeared.

Volunteers weave through the crowds distributing leaflets printed in both Spanish and English. The message is unambiguous: