world cup<\/span>.<\/p>\nBut Mexico’s soccer field, known as the “Field of the Gods,” is not the iconic Aztec.<\/p>\n
The nickname comes from the soccer field located inside the crater of an extinct volcano just south of Mexico City.<\/p>\n
The Teoca volcano serves as a dramatic backdrop for an amateur league organized in the town of Santa Cecilia Tepetrapa in the Xochimilco district.<\/p>\n
Every Sunday, dozens of families from the town of 10,000 people (a mostly lower-middle-class community) gather to immerse themselves in a passionate devotion to the Mexican nation.<\/p>\n
“For us, it’s a way of life. Being here on Sunday is part of our routine and there’s a great atmosphere in every tournament,” league president Jorge Becerril told The Associated Press. “There are no arguments here. People just come to socialize and teams come to compete.”<\/p>\n
The Teoka League has 10 teams, each representing one family. Because of these deep roots, there is no age limit. From patriarchs to teenagers, generations compete side by side.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt the heart of any team is the family,\u201d Becerril explains. \u201cWhen a player retires, his son takes over, then his grandson takes over, and the torch is passed down through the generations.\u201d<\/p>\n
While women aren’t currently playing on the pitch, they keep the league’s vibrant pulse from the sidelines.<\/p>\n
“Soccer is my passion,” says Isabel Madrid, the wife of a league player. “I’m not very good at playing games, but watching them play gives me a joy that I can’t explain. Other than the birth of my child, this is what fascinated me the most. I always look forward to Sundays because I get to watch my husband play.”<\/p>\n
collective rebellion<\/h2>\n
Carving a soccer field out of a volcanic crater was born out of necessity rather than whimsy. The terrain surrounding Santa Cecilia Tepetrapa is mountainous, leaving residents with little flat open space for sports. Faced with a lack of infrastructure, communities turned to volcanoes.<\/p>\n
“It’s fascinating to play in a crater,” said Sunday regular player Jonathan Flores. “It’s a difficult pitch, but the scenery is incredibly beautiful. The idea is to bring football into a unique space and allow people to enjoy it in a healthy environment. I love the game and I come here every week.”<\/p>\n
To an outsider, the pitches, with their patchy grass and hard-packed soil surfaces, may look weathered. However, its maintenance has become a source of local pride. The townspeople do all the maintenance themselves, deliberately rejecting government intervention.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe will do the best we can,\u201d Becerril insists. “The league is completely self-governing. We don’t seek support from local governments because when local governments invest, they try to claim ownership. We maintain this hill because it’s common land, it’s the people’s land, it’s ours. By keeping the government out, we’re making the field our own.”<\/p>\n
___<\/p>\n
AP World Cup: https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/fifa-world-cup<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
\n
Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"MEXICO CITY (AP) \u2014 aztec stadium won the victory by Pele and maradona. A few days left until the third different staging world cup. But Mexico’s soccer field, known as the “Field of the Gods,” is not the iconic Aztec. The nickname comes from the soccer field located inside the crater of an extinct volcano<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":35034,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-35033","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-soccer"},"yoast_head":"\n
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