Sheinbaum insists that Spain must apologize to Mexico

During the announcement of cultural activities as part of the Year of Indigenous Women, it was reported that the exhibition "Mesoamerican Women" will be held at the Casa de México in Madrid.

At this event, President Claudia Sheinbaum took the opportunity to reiterate a controversial request.

Sheinbaum and the apology request

Following the line of former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, Sheinbaum stated that her government will continue to demand that Spain apologize for the Conquest.

"Of course. The apology that President Andrés Manuel López Obrador requested from the Spanish State to the indigenous peoples, we reaffirm it and continue to request it. And one way to demonstrate the greatness of the cultures that lived here, of the civilizations that occupied our territory and that are still present to this day, is to bring that knowledge to Spain."

Spain has already apologized on several occasions

What the president omits is that Mexico and Spain have already held apology ceremonies on at least three occasions:

• In 1836, when Spain recognized Mexico's independence, signing a treaty of peace and harmony between both nations.
• In the 100th anniversary of independence ceremony, presided over by Porfirio Díaz, a Spanish delegation performed a protocolary act of apology.
• In 1991, King Juan Carlos I visited Mexico and participated in a ceremony with indigenous leaders in Oaxaca, where formal apologies were also expressed.

Does Spain have anything to apologize for?

Historians and analysts argue that Spain has no reason to apologize again, as it did not commit in America the same atrocities that other European powers did in their colonies.

In fact, Spain and the allied indigenous peoples (such as the Tlaxcaltecas, Cholultecas, and Texcocanos) were an essential part of Mexico's history.

Our culture, language, religion, and social structures are the result of mestizaje, in which both the indigenous and the Spanish played a crucial role.

Historical manipulation

Historian Juan Miguel Zunzunegui has pointed out that these types of statements have a political intention: to create division among peoples.

"The current government is untruthful because those apologies have already been made and it lacks honor because both governments (Mexico and Spain) have already performed this act and now the government simply disregards it."

This type of discourse seems more like a political strategy than a true demand for historical justice. Meanwhile, Spain has made it clear on several occasions that it has no intention of apologizing again.