Mariano Zafra

Visual journalist

Selected work | Reuters Graphics

How Europe’s emptying countryside is fuelling a new wildfire crisis

Abandoned farmland is turning into continuous forest. A visual investigation into how changing landscapes and fragmented land ownership are increasing wildfire risk in Spain and across Europe.

Data analysis · Maps · 3D

A heavy-lift drone carrying a wounded Ukrainian soldier in an evacuation harness

A Ukrainian soldier’s dramatic drone rescue

After 491 days on the front lines, a wounded soldier was carried 15 km to safety by a heavy-lift drone. A visual reconstruction of the rescue.

Graphics · 3D

Graphic explaining Russia’s Oreshnik missile

Inside Russia’s new missile, ‘Oreshnik’

The technology behind the missile Russia presented as a new kind of hypersonic weapon.

Graphics · 3D

Map of the Sea of Azov, the Black Sea and tanker routes through the Kerch Strait

Ukrainian drone strikes choke Russian shipping in the Sea of Azov

Maps and satellite imagery reveal how attacks on vessels disrupted shipping through the Sea of Azov and the Kerch Strait.

Maps · Satellite imagery

Map illustrating Greenland’s geography

US interest puts Greenland in focus

A closer look at Greenland through maps.

Maps

Inside Ukraine’s Kill Zone

An immersive reconstruction of the deadly strip of land along Ukraine’s front line, showing how drones have transformed the battlefield and the way soldiers move, fight and survive.

Storytelling · Maps · 3D

Illustration of an F-16 fighter jet

The air war over Ukraine

How F-16s could help Ukraine keep its air force flying and push opposing aircraft back.

Story · Graphics · 3D

Illustration of the humans and animals involved in bird flu transmission

How humans can and can’t catch bird flu

Scientists are watching for changes in the H5N1 virus that could allow it to spread more easily among humans.

Graphics · 3D

Map of Sudan showing military control and the location of Zamzam camp

Violence engulfs besieged Zamzam camp in Sudan’s Darfur region

Maps explain the conflict surrounding the camp and its location in Sudan’s Darfur region.

Maps

Map of Ukraine’s mineral resources

Ukraine’s minerals deal with the US

Mapping the resources at the center of an agreement announced without a security guarantee.

Maps

Stranded at sea

A decade after Europe’s migrant crisis, hundreds are still dying in the Mediterranean. A visual reconstruction of the routes, boats and dangers faced by people attempting the crossing.

Story · Maps · 3D

RecognitionWAN-IFRA · Best Data Visualization, 2026 ↗

Map illustrating Israel’s strategy in the West Bank

How Israel’s West Bank strategy aims to bury Palestinian statehood

A map-led examination of Israel’s strategy in the West Bank and its implications for Palestinian statehood.

Maps

Graphic explaining Israel’s Iron Dome air defence system

How Israel’s Iron Dome protects its cities

A visual explanation of how the air defence system detects, tracks and intercepts incoming rockets.

Graphics · 3D

Graphic showing obstacles to Ukraine’s counteroffensive

Four factors that stalled Ukraine’s counteroffensive

A visual analysis of the obstacles that slowed Ukraine’s advance.

Story · Graphics · 3D

Map documenting destruction across Gaza

The destruction of Gaza

New analysis shows the scale of destruction from Israel’s campaign across Gaza.

Story · Graphics · 3D

Inside Ukraine’s drone campaign to blitz Russia’s energy industry

Maps and 3D reconstructions explain the drones, their targets and Ukraine’s campaign against Russia’s refineries, pipelines and oil depots.

Maps · 3D

Selected work | El País

Las macrogranjas, paso a paso

Un proceso industrial para criar 53 millones de cerdos al año, explicado mediante gráficos y reconstrucciones en 3D.

Concept · Graphics

The underwater ‘hotspot’ feeding La Palma’s volcano will create new islands

A visual explanation of the hotspot beneath the Canary Islands and the volcanic processes shaping their future.

Concept · Graphics

How long does it take to catch coronavirus depending on the type of mask you’re wearing?

How long does it take to catch coronavirus depending on the type of mask you’re wearing?

Concept · Graphics

Graphic explaining the signals of a volcanic eruption

How to read the signs of an eruption

Uncovering the secrets of La Palma’s volcano.

Concept · Graphics

Is Putin losing the war? The balance of the first phase of the conflict in Ukraine

Is Putin losing the war? The balance of the first phase of the conflict in Ukraine

Concept · Graphics

Graphic illustrating the risk of a nuclear attack

What is the likelihood of a nuclear attack?

A visual explanation of the threat of a nuclear attack by Russia.

Concept · Graphics

Coches a 80 grados y parques infantiles a 65

descubra las temperaturas extremas que lo rodean

Concept · Graphics · Reporting and text

Cuevas y túneles impenetrables en la zona arrasada por el volcán de La Palma

Cuevas y túneles impenetrables en la zona arrasada por el volcán de La Palma

Graphics

Así afronta España el cierre del gasoducto del Magreb

Así afronta España el cierre del gasoducto del Magreb

Design · Graphics

Map showing barriers along Spain’s rivers

Ríos imposibles

Las 171.000 barreras que rompen el curso de agua en España.

Maps · Graphics

Ómicron: así es el “Frankenstein” del coronavirus que atemoriza al planeta

Ómicron

así es el “Frankenstein” del coronavirus que atemoriza al planeta

Graphics · Animation

Avoiding coronavirus infection in indoor spaces: don’t breathe other people’s air

Avoiding coronavirus infection in indoor spaces

don’t breathe other people’s air

Concept · Graphics

Siete ventajas que hacen del Leopard 2 el mejor tanque para la guerra de Ucrania

Siete ventajas que hacen del Leopard 2 el mejor tanque para la guerra de Ucrania

Story · Reporting · Graphics

The unvaccinated US teacher who infected 12 students with Covid: Lessons to be learned for the return to school

The unvaccinated US teacher who infected 12 students with Covid

Lessons to be learned for the return to school

Concept · Graphics

Los mil días de oro: así es el desarrollo de tu bebé en los primeros dos años de vida, mes a mes

Los mil días de oro

así es el desarrollo de tu bebé en los primeros dos años de vida, mes a mes

3D graphics · Concept · Reporting

Mi vida con placas solares

pendiente del sol para poner la lavadora

3D graphics

Cómo un escape de una tubería de gas en la calle hizo saltar por los aires un edificio en Madrid

Cómo un escape de una tubería de gas en la calle hizo saltar por los aires un edificio en Madrid

3D graphics · Animation

Así consigue un laboratorio multiplicar por 1.000 el precio de un medicamento

Así consigue un laboratorio multiplicar por 1.000 el precio de un medicamento

Graphics · Animations · 3D

Recorrido visual por las investiduras de EE UU: Trump rompe 150 años de tradición democrática

Recorrido visual por las investiduras de EE UU

Trump rompe 150 años de tradición democrática

3D graphics · Maps

Isolate fast and curtail infection: how antigen tests are changing the face of the pandemic

Isolate fast and curtail infection

how antigen tests are changing the face of the pandemic

3D · Design · Graphics

Un paseo por la Gran Vía de la crisis

casi un 30% de negocios cerrados

Data · Design · Graphics

Supermanzanas, o cómo devolver al peatón la ciudad robada por los coches

Supermanzanas, o cómo devolver al peatón la ciudad robada por los coches

3D · Design · Graphics

An analysis of three Covid-19 outbreaks: how they happened and how they can be avoided

An analysis of three Covid-19 outbreaks

how they happened and how they can be avoided

Concept · Graphics · 3D

Selected work | The Wall Street Journal

Boeing 737 MAX: A tale of two crashes

An analysis of official interim crash reports reveals the parallels between two Boeing 737 MAX accidents.

Concept · Design · Animation

The Incredible Inventory of Things We’ve Put on the Moon

A visual inventory of objects left on the lunar surface, including equipment from the Apollo 16 mission in 1972.

Story · Research · Design

Three-dimensional illustration of Notre Dame Cathedral after the fire

Fire Ravages Notre Dame Cathedral

The cathedral sustained massive damage, but authorities said its basic structure had been salvaged.

Mockup · 3D

Illustration explaining how tornadoes form

Why tornadoes are so hard to forecast

Scientists have gained new knowledge about how tornadoes form, but gaps in their understanding still make forecasting difficult.

Concept · Illustration