Spanish King Acknowledges Abuses During Mexico's Conquest, Sparking Controversy

Wed Mar 18 2026 01:35:22 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

King Felipe VI of Spain recognizes historical abuses during the conquest of Mexico, prompting discussions on colonial history and relations between Spain and Mexico.

In a recent statement, King Felipe VI acknowledged the abuses committed during the Spanish conquest of Mexico, a move welcomed by Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum but that has reopened debates about historical colonial actions. The king’s comments aim to foster reconciliation but have elicted mixed reactions from political figures in Spain, highlighting a divide on how the country's colonial past is perceived today.

King Felipe of Spain appears to have helped thaw frosty relations with Mexico by acknowledging abuses carried out by his country during its conquest.

But in doing so he has reopened a fierce debate over the colonisation of the New World.

The arrival of Spaniards in America from the late 15th Century spread Christianity and the Spanish language across the continent, while also causing the death of many thousands of indigenous people through military action and disease.

During a visit to an exhibition dedicated to indigenous women in Mexico at Madrid's National Archaeological Museum, King Felipe said there had been a lot of abuse during the conquest of the territory that would become Mexico.

There are things that, when we study them, with our present-day criteria, our values, obviously cannot make us feel proud, he added on Monday.

The king made his informal observations as he commented on the exhibition in the presence of the Mexican ambassador to Spain, Quirino Ordaz.

President Claudia Sheinbaum of Mexico welcomed the comments as a major step forward on an issue that has caused diplomatic friction between the two countries in recent years.

One could say that it is not everything we would have wanted but it is a gesture of reconciliation by the king in terms of what we were talking about: an acknowledgement of excesses, exterminations that happened during the Spaniards' arrival, she said.

The year 2021 marked the 500th anniversary of the fall of Tenochtitlán, at the hands of Hernán Cortés and his small army.

King Felipe's remarks were notable as they mark the first time a Spanish monarch has publicly acknowledged the abuses during the colonial era. They were captured in a video posted to social media by the Royal Household.

Sheinbaum stated that the comments should now pave the way for dialogue on the matter, though the exact nature of this discussion remains unclear.

Elma Saiz, a minister in the Socialist-led Spanish government, expressed that the administration endorses the words of [King] Felipe VI 100%. However, opposition from the political right, particularly from the conservative People's Party and the far-right Vox party, challenges this progress, arguing against revisiting historical events from a modern perspective.

Vox described the conquest as the greatest work of evangelisation and civilisation in universal history, highlighting the divide in Spain over its colonial history.