Political Dispute Between Mexico and Spain Over the Conquest of America

“Do not deny history,” stated Sheinbaum at her morning press conference yesterday. The Mexican leader's statements come after the president of the Community of Madrid, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, made it clear that Spain does not need to apologize to Mexico. On March 16, King Felipe VI of Spain said there was “a lot of abuse” in the conquest of America, and added that when some facts are studied and known with the criteria and values of today, “obviously they cannot make us feel proud,” although he also indicated that they must be known in their proper context. Díaz Ayuso replied that the “abuses” were those “committed against the indigenous population by the Aztec and Mayan peoples, who understood sacrifices as part of the rituals.” She also considered that the current “populist” executives of Spain and Mexico were “seeking” that controversy because they share the desire to “find in the past some excuse to not take the reins of the present or the future.” “Governments that do not take current responsibility are those that are always looking in the rearview mirror (...) I do not think it is our responsibility the situation that Mexico has in terms of insecurity and other problems,” declared Isabel Díaz Ayuso last Wednesday. And they are allied with (former president) Felipe Calderón (2012-2018) over there, with the Mexican right over there. The president of the Madrid region, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, denied this Wednesday “categorically” being advised by former Mexican president Felipe Calderón, and criticized the head of the Mexican state, Claudia Sheinbaum, for wanting to “confront everything.” Díaz Ayuso responded this way to Sheinbaum after the latter accused the Spanish conservative politician of maintaining an “ideological” position and aligned with Calderón on the conquest of America. “It is totally false that we have former president Calderón as an advisor, totally false,” replied Díaz Ayuso at a press conference, where she assured that her goal is to “unite peoples” with “Hispanidad.” And she added: “I don't understand this need to divide ourselves and to confront everything.” What did Sheinbaum say about the Spanish leader Isabel Díaz Ayuso? On Tuesday, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum defended the historical relevance of Spain recognizing the “abuses” committed during the conquest and accused the president of the Community of Madrid, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, of maintaining a position aligned with Calderón. “She (Díaz Ayuso) is ideological. So, what do you expect her to say? Her thing is ideological against us.”