"Spain, which initially dismissed any possibility of issuing such an apology in strong terms, acknowledged last Friday through Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares that there was pain and injustice inflicted upon the Indigenous peoples of the Americas. While the statement did not come directly from the Crown, as the Mexican government had hoped, it nonetheless represents a gesture of enormous symbolic and political significance, aimed at repairing the strained diplomatic relationship which at times verged on hostility."
"Signs of rapprochement had been growing not through politics, but through culture. Spain granted two Princess of Asturias Awards this year to Mexico: the Arts Award to photographer Graciela Iturbide, and the Concord Award to the National Museum of Anthropology. In turn, Mexico loaned more than 400 pre-Hispanic pieces related to Indigenous women's art to be exhibited in four shows in Madrid."
Mexico and Spain moved toward diplomatic reconciliation after nearly seven years of tension over differing interpretations of the Spanish Conquest. In 2019, former president Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador demanded that the Spanish Crown apologize for violence against Indigenous peoples, and current president Claudia Sheinbaum continued the demand. Spain initially rejected any apology, but Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares later acknowledged that pain and injustice had been inflicted upon the Indigenous peoples of the Americas. The acknowledgment, while not issued directly by the Crown, served as a symbolic political gesture to mend strained ties. Cultural rapprochement included Princess of Asturias Awards to Mexican recipients and the loan of more than 400 pre-Hispanic pieces for Madrid exhibitions. Albares stated that shared history has both light and dark sides and expressed regret for injustices.
Read at english.elpais.com
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