A diplomatic script written by several hands
What seemed like an improvised comment by King Felipe VI in a museum was, in reality, the first act of a carefully rehearsed play. A “state operation” to heal historical wounds with Mexico and ensure its presence at the next Ibero-American Summit in Madrid.
The speech that was not casual
During a visit to an exhibition about indigenous Mexico, the monarch spoke with ambassador Quirino Ordaz. There, Felipe VI launched the most anticipated and at the same time most controversial line:
He stressed the need to analyze the past with historical rigor, avoiding simplistic judgments, although admitting that in the colonizing process there were excesses that today cannot be considered a source of pride.
The word “abuses” was left floating in the air of the National Archaeological Museum. But far from being a real slip, it was an approved script. Close sources confirm that there was prior knowledge and coordination with the Government and the Popular Party.
The objective is clear: to rebuild the institutional ties broken in recent years and bring Mexico, now under the command of Claudia Sheinbaum, back into the Ibero-American diplomatic fold.
The function divides the political cast
As in any good drama, the reactions were immediate and showed the cracks in the ruling cast. While Alberto Núñez Feijóo (PP) unwaveringly supported the king, Isabel Díaz Ayuso went off the script.
The Madrid president charged against the narrative, defending the Spanish legacy tooth and nail and pointing out pre-Hispanic civilizations as those mainly responsible for abuses. A coup de effect that showed that, even in a state play, there are actors who prefer to improvise.
Despite the internal squabbles, both La Zarzuela and Génova quickly closed ranks. Communication was fluid because everyone read from the same final script: revitalize a summit that has lost steam and reposition Spain in Latin America.
In the end, more than a spontaneous historical gesture, it was a calculated move. A diplomatic chess move where recognizing shadows of the past is the price of gaining influence in the immediate future. The curtain will rise definitively in November in Madrid.
