Mexico invites King Felipe VI to the World Cup after the monarch's gesture acknowledging the "abuses" of colonization

MadridKing Felipe VI's gesture toward Mexico—in which he acknowledged the "abuses" committed during the conquest of the Americas—has had an initial, palpable effect on thawing relations. According to the Royal Household, the monarch has received an invitation from Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum to attend the World Cup, which her country will host from July 11 to 19. In a letter, Sheinbaum expresses that this sporting event "provides the perfect opportunity to highlight the depth and unique character of the ties between Mexico and Spain, forged by a historical brotherhood." The invitation was welcomed at the Zarzuela Palace "within the framework of the fraternal relationship of friendship between the two countries." At a press conference this Tuesday, Sheinbaum indicated her willingness to accept the monarch's invitation and welcomed his remarks earlier in the week during a conversation with the Mexican ambassador to Spain while visiting the exhibition.Half the world. Women in indigenous Mexico. The Mexican government had been demanding for years an apology to Spainbecause of its colonial past. Although Felipe VI did not apologize, the Mexican president interpreted his words—in which he admitted that there are behaviors that, viewed through the lens of current values, are not something to be "proud of"—as "a gesture of rapprochement" within the framework of a process that "must continue to be worked on."

While speaking in these terms is already yielding diplomatic results, the more radical elements of the Spanish right continue to express their disagreement with the king's words. The president of the Madrid region has ignored the attempt to fair play with the monarch, who yesterday deployed the PP leadership and has directly confronted him. "We, the Christian Democrats, arrived and established a new order and, above all, a way of understanding that life is sacred. It was necessary to civilize and bring to the New World a different way of living," he stated unequivocally in an interview with OK Daily"I am very proud and I have always maintained that," she added. Unlike the king, Ayuso believes that the "abuses" were basically "committed" by the Aztecs and the Mayans "against the native population" because "they understood sacrifices as part of rituals." At midday, Ayuso elaborated on her critical stance at a press conference. The Madrid president asked that the king be "left in peace" and that people stop "twisting the past through the populist lens of the present." She also maintained that the relationship between Spain and Mexico "cannot be allowed to deteriorate at the hands of those who hate everything Spanish" and attempted to interpret Felipe VI's words: "What he does mean is that we are deeply proud of Spain's legacy in Mexico and vice versa, of having a civilized way of life." It is worth remembering that Ayuso has directly clashed with Sheinbaum and has even compared her progressive government to the Venezuelan and Cuban regimes.