In 2019, the former president of Mexico Andrés Manuel López Obrador expressed his intention to send a letter to King Felipe VI of Spain. The goal was for the Spanish Crown to apologize to Mexico for the crimes committed during the conquest.
The claim was also directed at the Vatican. Beatriz Gutiérrez Müller, his wife, supported this initiative.
Despite warnings about the diplomatic consequences, the then-presidential couple proceeded with the gesture. As expected, this action caused diplomatic tensions, seen by many as an attempt to rewrite history from an ideological perspective.
But in an apparent contradiction to her previous stance, Gutiérrez Müller has begun proceedings to obtain Spanish nationality. She is relying on the Democratic Memory Law, promoted by the socialist president Pedro Sánchez, to achieve her goal.
This recent law allows descendants of Spaniards to access citizenship. According to reports, the ancestry of the former first lady includes Catalan and Castilian lineages on her father's side.
Academic motives and questions
The former first lady has argued that her application is due to academic reasons, linked to her interest in research and culture. However, various sectors have received this justification with skepticism, questioning the consistency between her previous discourse and her current actions.
Gutiérrez Müller's decision to apply for Spanish nationality has reignited the debate about the consistency between political discourse and the personal actions of public figures. In the past, she promoted confrontation with Spain; today she seeks to establish legal and cultural ties with that same country.
This shift raises questions about the authenticity of her convictions and the possible essentialization of historical issues for political purposes. Political amnesia seems to be a constant in the ruling class of the regime.
