Mexican prison board game brings together people from all walks of life

FILE - A player moves his piece in poleana, a board game invented in prison, during a tournament in Mexico City, Nov. 17, 2024. FILE - Dana Lopez sands a wooden token for poleana, a board game invented in prison, in his workshop in Mexico State, Mexico, Oct. 25, 2024. FILE - Dana Lopez paints a board for poleana, a board game invented in prison, while her son Kevin plays in their workshop in the State of Mexico, Mexico, Oct. 25, 2024.

On a Sunday afternoon in Mexico City's Roma neighborhood, Rosa María Espinosa joins nearly 80 men under a park pavilion to play poleana, a board game requiring mental dexterity that was born in the city's prisons nearly a century ago.