Key facts
- Families of missing people in Guadalajara, Mexico, are using World Cup-themed stickers to raise awareness.
- The stickers mimic Panini collectibles and feature images of missing individuals with the label 'DESAPARECIDO'.
- The campaign aims to highlight the plight of Mexico's 135,000 missing persons to World Cup visitors.
- The Luz de Esperanza collective launched the initiative due to frustration with government priorities and lack of official action.
- Families are actively involved in searching for their loved ones, often at their own expense.
As Guadalajara prepares to host matches for the 2026 World Cup, families of Mexico's disappeared have launched a poignant campaign to draw attention to the country's ongoing crisis of missing persons. They have transformed the familiar imagery of collectible soccer stickers into a powerful tool, plastering streets with images of their loved ones wearing the national team's jersey, each labeled 'DESAPARECIDO' (Missing).
The initiative, spearheaded by the Luz de Esperanza search collective in Jalisco, the state with the highest number of disappearances, aims to make the estimated 135,000 missing individuals visible to the tens of thousands of international visitors expected for the tournament. María de Jesús Solís, whose son Jaime Adrián disappeared nearly six years ago, explained that the stickers are a way to express their profound sense of loss and absence.
This campaign highlights the stark contrast between the millions spent on World Cup preparations and the often self-funded efforts of families searching for their missing relatives. Solís noted that while the government presents a 'beautiful face' to the world, the city is "full of posters of our children."
Members of Luz de Esperanza, including Solís and Guadalupe Rivera, whose son Christian Emmanuel disappeared three years ago, actively participate in searches, combing abandoned properties and testing the ground for clandestine graves. Rivera expressed a desire to find her son alive, but hopes the soccer-themed campaign will prompt greater awareness and action.
The campaign has elicited mixed reactions, with some residents embracing it and others suggesting it detracts from the celebratory atmosphere of the World Cup. However, for the families, whose pleas to authorities have often gone unheeded, finding new ways to make their loved ones visible to the world remains their primary objective.