After years of diplomatic strain between Mexico and Spain, King Felipe VI of Spain has acknowledged that there was “lots of abuse” of Indigenous populations during the Spanish conquest of Mexico and recognized the “moral and ethical controversies” the history carries in present day. Mexican president Claudia Sheinbaum has accepted the “gesture of reconciliation” and said she hopes “to continue advancing the dialogue” with Spain. The exchange between Mexico and Spain is the latest in the two countries’ discussions about the conquest, which began in 2019 after former Mexican president Andrés Manuel López Obrador demanded a public apology from the Spanish crown “for the atrocities of the past” that was never answered. The topic was once again brought to light after Claudia Sheinbaum was elected in 2024, as she did not invite King Felipe VI to her inauguration, and she has insisted that the Spanish crown acknowledge the violence it inflicted on Mexico’s Indigenous populations throughout h...