Felipe VI acknowledges that there were "abuses" in the conquest of America

MadridCloser relations between Spain and Mexico after the clash over the colonial pastKing Felipe VI admitted this Monday in a conversation with the Mexican ambassador to Madrid, Quirino Ordaz, that Spain committed "many abuses" during the conquest of America, despite the "desire to protect" of the Catholic Monarchs. This is evident in a video posted by the royal household on its Instagram and X accounts, where the Spanish monarch uses his knowledge of history to learn lessons for the future.

"We have to learn lessons. There have been moral controversies about how power is exercised from day one. The Catholic Monarchs, with their directives, had a desire to protect, which reality later showed was not fulfilled as intended, and there was a lot of abuse," he says in the video, recorded after a visit to the exhibition. Half the world. Women in indigenous Mexicowhich can be seen at the National Archaeological Museum of Madrid until March 22.

According to the monarch, there are aspects of Spanish behavior that, viewed through the lens of current values, are not something to be "proud" of, alluding to what the arrival in America represented for native cultures. This exhibition highlights the social importance of indigenous women in pre-Hispanic times, both in the private sphere and in positions of power, emphasizing their relevance as warriors, caregivers, and mothers.

In this regard, the king stated that it "opens a window to knowledge" that should be shared with young people: "This mixed culture that was born here in America is what defines us today," he stressed, expressing his pleasure at being able to enjoy the event in Madrid in the presence of the Mexican ambassador. The visit was not on the official agenda of the Royal Household for Monday, but the Zarzuela Palace did publicize the monarch's presence and reported, according to Europa Press, that Felipe VI intended to visit the exhibition before it closes next Sunday. The exhibition was organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, through the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation, and the Mexican Ministry of Culture, through the National Institute of Anthropology and History of Mexico. In other words, it was a visit facilitated by both parties.

In this way, Felipe VI seeks to reach out to the Mexican government, which since 2019 has formally demanded that Spain apologize for its colonial past and the excesses committed during the conquest of the Americas. In fact, the Spanish royal family was expressly excluded from Claudia Sheinbaum's inauguration as president because it had not responded to a request for an apology from her predecessor, Andrés Manuel López Obrador.

The Spanish government recently took a first step, and now the King himself is taking action. In October It was Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares who acknowledged the "contrasts" in the history of the conquest of America, and admitted that there had been "pain and injustice toward the indigenous peoples" when this same exhibition, which the King visited this Monday, was inaugurated. At that time, the Mexican president herself took up the challenge, considering it a gesture to acknowledge the colonial past. And, in fact, Sheinbaum also described as "symbolic" the fact that the King and Queen made an appearance at the exhibition last January.stand Mexico's representatives attended the International Tourism Fair (Fitur) in Madrid. After years of estrangement, a new phase in diplomatic relations is underway.