Spain’s King Felipe VI on Monday acknowledged that the country’s conquest of the Americas involved ‘much abuse’ and ‘ethical controversies’, in remarks seen as a conciliatory gesture amid a long-running diplomatic dispute with Mexico over colonial-era grievances.
Speaking during a visit to a Madrid exhibition on Indigenous Mexican culture (main image) — where he also met Mexico’s ambassador to Spain, Quirino Ordaz — the monarch noted that laws introduced by the Spanish crown in the 16th century had reflected a ‘desire to protect’ Indigenous populations. However, he admitted that these protections were not effectively upheld.
‘But reality later made it impossible to fully enforce, and there was much abuse,’ the king said, according to a video shared by the royal palace.
Reflecting more broadly on Spain’s colonial past, Felipe added: ‘There are things that later, when we study them and learn about them, you say: ‘Well, by today’s standards and values, they obviously cannot make us feel proud.”
He continued: ‘But they must be understood in their proper context, not with excessive moral presentism, but with objective and rigorous analysis.’
The comments come against the backdrop of years of strained relations between Spain and Mexico over the legacy of the 1519–1521 conquest, which led to the fall of the Aztec empire and the establishment of Spanish colonial rule that lasted for three centuries.
Mexico City became the centre of Spain’s power in the Americas, built atop the ruins of the Aztec capital, Tenochtitlan.
The issue has been a recurring source of diplomatic tension since 2019, when then Mexican president Andrés Manuel López Obrador formally requested that Spain’s monarchy apologise for abuses committed during the conquest and subsequent colonial period. Spain declined, deepening the rift between the two countries.
Tensions persisted in 2024 when Mexico’s current president, Claudia Sheinbaum, did not invite Felipe VI to her inauguration, prompting Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez to describe the decision as ‘unacceptable’. Spain, in turn, chose not to send any official representative to the ceremony. ALSO READ: Spain boycotts Mexican president’s inauguration due to King Felipe snub.
However, relations have shown signs of easing in recent months. Last year, Spain’s Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares acknowledged the ‘pain and injustice’ suffered by Indigenous peoples during the colonial era, stating: ‘There has been pain, pain and injustice toward the indigenous peoples to whom this exhibition is dedicated.’
Sheinbaum welcomed those remarks at the time, saying ‘this is the first time that a Spanish government authority has spoken of regretting the injustice’.
Despite the king’s latest comments, they do not amount to a formal apology from Spain’s royal household. According to Spanish media, Sheinbaum has since considered Felipe’s remarks and said: ‘It’s not everything we would have wanted, but it’s a gesture.’
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Felipe VI, en una exposición junto al embajador de México. se ha referido a la conquista de América y ha reconocido que hubo “muchos abusos”.
▶https://t.co/N1CqOU61k5 pic.twitter.com/gEDETaptO9
— Telediarios de TVE (@telediario_tve) March 16, 2026
El Rey ha visitado la exposición “La mitad del mundo. La mujer en el México indígena”, que se exhibe en el Museo Arqueológico Nacional (MAN) hasta el 22 de marzo.
La muestra, centrada en el ámbito humano, expone cerca de 250 piezas, muchas de las cuales han sido prestadas por… pic.twitter.com/DddefbUjeo
— Casa de S.M. el Rey (@CasaReal) March 16, 2026
Recorrido del Rey por la exposición “La mitad del mundo. La mujer en el México indígena” en el Museo Arqueológico Nacional (MAN).
La exposición, centrada en el ámbito humano, permite indagar en el conocimiento del México indígena a través de la figura de la mujer. pic.twitter.com/BDwH8KIijl
— Casa de S.M. el Rey (@CasaReal) March 16, 2026
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