President of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, once again asked the Spanish state to apologize for the excesses committed during the conquest. He stated that it would help both peoples and countries during his Wednesday press conference. López Obrador emphasized that it is not a closed issue and expressed regret that Spain did not see the importance of offering a symbolic gesture to improve bilateral relations. This request comes towards the end of his term, which ends on October 1, and rekindles tensions that arose when he sent a letter to Felipe VI in March 2019, just three months after starting his term.
López Obrador stated that offering apologies is an act of humility and insisted that all parties involved should assume their share of responsibility, not just “the European invaders.” The Mexican president led an event in August 2021 to commemorate the 500 years since the fall of the Mexica Empire and issued an official apology on behalf of the Mexican state. He also acknowledged the authoritarian acts and extermination of indigenous inhabitants committed after Mexico became an independent country in 1821. López Obrador highlighted that even Hernán Cortés accepted in his writings and letters to the King that they subdued and repressed peoples.
The President of Mexico contrasted the rejection of the Spanish Crown to his request with the reaction of the Pope. In October 2021, Pope Francis sent a letter accepting the abuses committed during the conquest. López Obrador questioned why Spain had not offered an apology and reproached the Spanish monarchy during his latest press conference. However, he did not clarify whether he had sent another formal request to the Spanish Crown. This time, his tone was more moderate than when tensions between both countries escalated five years ago.
In response to López Obrador’s public letter, the government of Spain strongly condemned the content and stressed that the arrival of the Spanish 500 years ago in current Mexican territories should not be judged based on contemporary considerations. They expressed willingness to intensify the existing friendly relations and cooperation between the two countries and emphasized looking towards the future with a shared vision to tackle future challenges. The Spanish Embassy in Mexico and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have not commented on López Obrador’s recent statements.
During the press conference, López Obrador also thanked Spanish deputy Gerardo Pisarello for speaking out against a complaint filed by right-wing parties in the Spanish Congress regarding the upcoming elections in Mexico on June 2. He accused the Spanish right-wing of attacking him to influence the Mexican campaign and praised that the complaint did not have any repercussions. The opposition has criticized the current government for influencing the election in favor of Claudia Sheinbaum, the leading candidate in the polls. López Obrador emphasized that the differences are not with the Spanish people but with the elites who benefited from the wealth taken from Mexico during the conquest.
This stance on demanding apologies from the Spanish Crown has become more prominent since López Obrador’s interview in February with Pablo Iglesias, former leader of Podemos, in which he expressed his belief that the Spanish monarchy will eventually offer an apology. The Mexican Government’s position on this issue has been more visible in recent times, with López Obrador advocating for reconciliation and a new phase in bilateral relations with Spain. These developments highlight the ongoing debate and tensions surrounding the historical legacies of colonization and conquest in the relationship between Mexico and Spain.
