Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador asked King Felipe V in a letter to express his apology for the sufferings the Spanish Conquistadors subjected the people of Mexico 500 years ago, provoking a reaction from Madrid , which expresses its "deep sadness" and "vehemently rejects" its content.
At the same time, the Spanish government "reiterates its willingness to work closely with the government of Mexico and to continue building the appropriate framework to strengthen the existing relations of friendship and cooperation between the two countries, which will allow us to face together view the future challenges".
As Madrid pointed out, "the arrival, 500 years ago, of the Spaniards in the present lands of Mexico cannot be judged in the light of today's opinions". Obrador emphasizes that he has sent letters to the king and the pope, calling on the monarch to acknowledge the suffering his people have suffered and apologize to the indigenous peoples for the violations of what are now recognized as human rights.
"There were massacres, displacements, the chosen conquista-conquest was done with the sword and the cross. It was an invasion." For Obrador, admitting this and apologizing is the only way to fully reconcile the two peoples. As 2021 marks the 200th anniversary of Mexico's independence and 500 years since the fall of the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan to the troops of Hernán Cortés, Obrador wants Spain's reconciliation and apology to coincide with the celebrations.
"The time has come to say that we are reconciled, but first we must apologize," said the Mexican president, adding that he too would apologize to the indigenous populations "for the oppression" inflicted on them after the country's independence.
SOURCE:APE-ME