The President of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, stated that Spain should recognize the 'abuses' committed during the conquest and accused the president of the Community of Madrid, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, of maintaining an 'ideological' stance aligned with former President Felipe Calderón. Ayuso, one of the most influential figures on the Spanish right, stated: 'She (Díaz Ayuso) is ideological. About going to the New World, about bringing New Spain, a civilized way of seeing life through the missions, the universities, the hospitals and also important infrastructures.' Sheinbaum criticized Ayuso's stance, accusing her of being advised by former President Felipe Calderón: 'What can she say? Then what do you expect her to say? That she denies history,' the head of state stated at her morning press conference. Sheinbaum's statements came after the president of Madrid, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, made it clear that Spain does not need to apologize to Mexico. 'Far from apologizing, we are deeply proud of Spain's legacy in Mexico and vice versa. Why doesn't she talk about the war on drugs? And they are allied with (former president) Felipe Calderón (2012-2018) there, with the Mexican right there. We have many relations with the Spanish people,' she pointed out. Finally, she stressed that the recent recognition by King of Spain Felipe VI of the abuses committed during the conquest represents a historical step and called to 'move forward' in reflecting on that past. '(The important thing) is that a step has been taken and we must move forward (...) I believe that what forgiveness means is important,' she emphasized. The head of state defended the relevance of the apology initiative launched in 2019 by then-President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (2018-2024), recalling the Mexican tradition of solidarity with Spain, especially during the Republic and the exile caused by Francoism. She also stressed the importance of recognizing the greatness of the original civilizations to recover the historical dignity of the indigenous peoples, and ruled out any animosity towards Spain. Relations between the two countries have gone through tensions in recent years, especially since in 2019 the then Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (2018-2024) asked Spain for an apology for the grievances of the conquest, a request that was not answered. However, in recent months both sides have given signals of détente, with calls to deepen the historical and political dialogue between Mexico and Spain. Her thing is ideology against us.
