President Claudia Sheinbaum confirmed that on June 25 she will receive the King of Spain, Felipe VI, at the National Palace. At the meeting, he said, he will address the value of indigenous peoples for Mexico.
Sheinbaum recalled that the Spanish monarch has not offered the requested apologies since the six-year term of Andrés Manuel López Obrador, but he has recognized the importance of the native communities and the abuses committed during the Conquest.
“He took a very important step from my point of view,” said the president at a press conference. “Although it is not the forgiveness that was requested at the time, it is progress, it is a step taken in this sense of recognition of the native peoples, of the abuses of Hernán Cortés particularly and of the Conquest.”
The king’s visit will be brief. He will arrive on the afternoon of June 25 and, after the match, he will travel to Jalisco to attend the Spain-Uruguay match, within the framework of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Sheinbaum ruled out a joint press conference due to limited time. He stressed that his government maintains the request for a formal apology from the Spanish Crown, but values the king’s gesture as a significant step.
“Now we continue with the mission that it is very important that in Spain the cultural greatness of Mexico is recognized, not as the cultural greatness that begins with the Colony, but that which comes from the origin of the indigenous peoples,” he stated.
The president framed the meeting as an opportunity to exchange opinions and advance the historical recognition of pre-Hispanic cultures.
