King Felipe of Spain appears to have helped thaw frosty relations with Mexico by acknowledging abuses carried out by his country during its conquest. In doing so, he has reopened a fierce debate over the colonization of the New World.
The arrival of Spaniards in America from the late 15th Century spread Christianity and the Spanish language across the continent, while also causing the death of many thousands of indigenous people through military action and disease.
During a visit to an exhibition dedicated to indigenous women in Mexico at Madrid's National Archaeological Museum, King Felipe said there had been a lot of abuse during the conquest of the territory that would become Mexico. There are things that, when we study them, with our present-day criteria, our values, obviously cannot make us feel proud, he added on Monday.
The king made his informal observations as he commented on the exhibition in the presence of the Mexican ambassador to Spain, Quirino Ordaz. President Claudia Sheinbaum of Mexico welcomed the comments as a major step forward on an issue that has caused diplomatic friction between the two countries in recent years. One could say that it is not everything we would have wanted but it is a gesture of reconciliation by the king in terms of what we were talking about: an acknowledgment of excesses, exterminations that happened during the Spaniards' arrival, she said.
The year 2021 marked the 500th anniversary of the fall of Tenochtitlán, the site of modern-day Mexico City and the capital of the Aztec empire, at the hands of Hernán Cortés and his small army. King Felipe's words mark the first time that a Spanish monarch has publicly acknowledged abuses during the country's colonial era. Sheinbaum said that the comments should now lead to dialogue on the matter, although it is unclear how that might proceed.
In contrast, political reactions in Spain have been mixed, with some on the right rejecting the notion of a reappraisal of this historical period. The conservative People's Party leader warned against evaluating historical events through a contemporary lens. Conversely, the far-right Vox party praised the conquest as a significant act of civilization and evangelization.
Critical dialogues regarding colonial legacies are gaining traction, not just in Spain but globally, as nations reassess their histories and the impact of colonialism.
The arrival of Spaniards in America from the late 15th Century spread Christianity and the Spanish language across the continent, while also causing the death of many thousands of indigenous people through military action and disease.
During a visit to an exhibition dedicated to indigenous women in Mexico at Madrid's National Archaeological Museum, King Felipe said there had been a lot of abuse during the conquest of the territory that would become Mexico. There are things that, when we study them, with our present-day criteria, our values, obviously cannot make us feel proud, he added on Monday.
The king made his informal observations as he commented on the exhibition in the presence of the Mexican ambassador to Spain, Quirino Ordaz. President Claudia Sheinbaum of Mexico welcomed the comments as a major step forward on an issue that has caused diplomatic friction between the two countries in recent years. One could say that it is not everything we would have wanted but it is a gesture of reconciliation by the king in terms of what we were talking about: an acknowledgment of excesses, exterminations that happened during the Spaniards' arrival, she said.
The year 2021 marked the 500th anniversary of the fall of Tenochtitlán, the site of modern-day Mexico City and the capital of the Aztec empire, at the hands of Hernán Cortés and his small army. King Felipe's words mark the first time that a Spanish monarch has publicly acknowledged abuses during the country's colonial era. Sheinbaum said that the comments should now lead to dialogue on the matter, although it is unclear how that might proceed.
In contrast, political reactions in Spain have been mixed, with some on the right rejecting the notion of a reappraisal of this historical period. The conservative People's Party leader warned against evaluating historical events through a contemporary lens. Conversely, the far-right Vox party praised the conquest as a significant act of civilization and evangelization.
Critical dialogues regarding colonial legacies are gaining traction, not just in Spain but globally, as nations reassess their histories and the impact of colonialism.
