From cartel prison to children's playground: the transformation of Mexican World Cup host Monterrey

MONTERREY, Mexico, June 9 - On a recent afternoon in northern Mexico, about a dozen children played soccer in an idyllic park on a site where, a decade earlier, 49 people had died in a vicious battle between two warring cartels fighting for control of one of Mexico's most violent prisons.

The episode - in which many inmates were hacked to death with knives or bludgeoned with chairs - in the notorious Topo Chico prison was one of the bloodiest in the violence that consumed the metropolitan area of Monterrey in the early 2010s.

The same drug war is still ravaging parts of Mexico, sparking concerns for the security of fans at the World Cup that kicks off this week. Guadalajara - where in February cartel members torched cars and set up roadblocks in retaliation for the U.S.-backed capture of one of the most wanted drug lords - is particularly under the spotlight.

But in Monterrey, which is slated to host four World Cup matches, residents and tourists are more concerned about traffic and smog than security. Public safety has improved dramatically over the past 15 years, with heavy investment in policing and a broader economic rise helping to make Monterrey one of Mexico's safest major cities.

Perhaps nowhere represents the city's transformation more than this expanse of trees, fields and playgrounds called Liberty Park, located on the site of the old Topo Chico prison. The city has constructed the park, first opened in 2021, in various stages, adding a new playground and sports pitch ahead of the World Cup.

"We could hear the riots, the explosions, the helicopters, and the soldiers' patrols all over this area," recalled Francisco Rodriguez Castillo, 66, who has lived a few blocks from the prison-turned-park for decades.

Now, Rodriguez, a retired accountant, jogs with a running group in the park in the mornings and marvels at the children playing in the park well after dark.

"It's an enormous change," he said.

RESIDENTS ORGANIZE TO SAVE THE PARK

When authorities dismantled the 76-year-old prison in 2019, one of the final jobs was to sweep the prison's soccer field and the rest of the facility in search of clandestine graves, although none were found.

The city then turned the site into a park, and for residents like Gala Jazmín Rojas Cruz it felt like a momentous opportunity – especially for children in the neighborhood.

"When I was a child, I had nowhere to play," said the 30-year-old lawyer.

She recalled how it was too dangerous to play in the street outside, and how she and other families often took shelter when the sound of gunshots rang out, alerting residents of a prison riot.

"(We knew) that at that very moment people were being killed," she said.

In 2023, officials announced the planned construction of a children's hospital on the grounds of the former prison.

But the plan sparked fierce resistance from residents, including Rojas and Rodriguez, who staged protests and mounted legal challenges that ultimately succeeded in preserving Liberty Park.

To ward against future efforts to build on the land, the group then campaigned for authorities to declare Liberty Park a natural protected area. State officials are in the process of finalizing the park's new status. REUTERS