A real gesture that no one expected
After years in which it seemed easier to find a unicorn than a conciliatory official statement, King Felipe VI has said the unthinkable. He has recognized the “abuses” committed during the Conquest. It’s not a complete apology, but in diplomatic language, it’s an earthquake.
For those of us keeping score, this is a turning point. Respond directly to the letter that Andrés Manuel López Obrador sent in 2019 asking for just that: recognition. Claudia Sheinbaum’s administration has received him with open arms, seeing an open door to normalize the bond.
Pragmatism defeats (for now) history
The curious thing is that this political tension never stopped the money. Spain is one of the largest investors in Mexico, and Spanish companies did not leave. It was the classic “I hate you but I need you” at the country level.
Now, it seems that common sense is winning. With a complicated international context and a certain political affinity between the Sánchez and Sheinbaum governments, there is ground for understanding. External pressure is usually a great motivator to leave quarrels at home.
The monarch’s statement… has been well received by the government of Claudia Sheinbaum, which has shown a willingness to advance normalization.
Let’s not be naive. Historical wounds cannot be healed with a statement. The difference about how to read the colonial past is still there, latent. But for the first time in a long time, both sides are choosing to look forward.
They are committed to a more pragmatic relationship, focused on cooperation and shared interests. It’s like deciding to stop arguing about who stained the couch 500 years ago and focus on building a new house together. We’ll see how long this truce lasts.
