Spain admits ‘injustice’ in colonization of Mexican natives

Madrid, however, continues to stop short of a formal apology

Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares has publicly acknowledged the suffering and injustice experienced by Mexico’s native peoples during colonization five centuries ago. The comments mark a rare admission from a Spanish official, although Madrid has stopped short of issuing a formal apology.

Spain’s conquest of Mexico began in 1519, when Hernan Cortes led an expedition that overthrew the Aztec Empire. Armed with superior weapons and aided by disease, the conquistadors decimated Indigenous populations as they seized land and resources. The colonizers sought gold and power in the New World, while pre-Columbian cultures were repressed and temples replaced by churches.

“There was injustice. It is fair to acknowledge it today and fair to regret it, because that is also part of our shared history, and we cannot deny or forget it,” Albares said during the opening of a display devoted to Indigenous Mexican art in Madrid. He emphasized the “pain and injustice towards the Indigenous peoples to whom this showcase is dedicated.”

The exhibition, titled ‘Half of the World. Women in Indigenous Mexico’, was organized at the request of Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum.

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Responding to Albares’s remarks, Sheinbaum said it was “the first time that a member of the Spanish government has expressed regret over the injustices committed.” She called the gesture significant, saying that recognizing historical wrongs does not weaken nations but strengthens them.

“It is not humiliating,” she said. “On the contrary, acknowledging history, recognizing grievances, asking for forgiveness or expressing regret, and reclaiming that past as part of our story empowers governments and peoples.”

In 2019, then-Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador sent a letter to Spain’s King Felipe VI demanding an apology for the abuses committed during the 1519-1521 conquest and the centuries of colonial rule that followed. The request was rejected by Spain’s Foreign Ministry, which said both countries should view their past as a “shared history.” King Felipe did not publicly respond, and the exchange strained relations between Madrid and Mexico City for years.