Meeting With Felipe VI Was Achieved Thanks to Spain's Recognition of the Abuses of the Conquest: Sheinbaum
mexicosolidarity.com
The King also pledged a session on indigenous peoples at November's Ibero-American Summit in Madrid.

This article by Arturo Sánchez and Alma E. Muñoz originally appeared in the June 26, 2026 edition of La Jornada, Mexico’s premier left wing daily newspaper.

Mexico City. President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo stated this Friday that the meeting she held yesterday with King Felipe VI of Spain at the National Palace would not have been possible without the prior recognition by the Spanish government and the monarch of the “abuses that were committed during the arrival of the Spaniards,” and she defended the consistency of her government against those who question its stance toward Spain.

“This meeting could not have taken place if there had not been, on the part of the Spanish government and the head of the Spanish State, the king, the recognition in his own form, in his own way, of abuses that were committed during the arrival of the Spaniards, during the so-called Conquest,” the president said at her morning press conference. “This was a gesture on their part that translated into yesterday’s visit.”

The meeting, which lasted approximately one hour, had to be moved to the Ambassadors’ Hall of the National Palace after the rain began during the official reception, the president recounted.

She noted that the first topic she addressed with the king was the vindication of the original peoples and their place in the national identity. She emphasized that 28 million Mexican women and men identify as Indigenous, that 69 languages are spoken in the country, and that the values of the pre-Hispanic cultures have been fundamental in the construction of contemporary Mexico.

“For us it is a matter of identity, of national identity, of recognition and of no to discrimination, no to racism, no to classism, no to any form of discrimination. And that is why it is a matter of dignity for Mexico,” she affirmed.

The king listened to the proposals and noted that at the upcoming Ibero-American Summit, scheduled for November in Madrid, one of the working tables will be dedicated to the original peoples, and he expressed interest in continuing to work jointly on that issue, the president said.

Sheinbaum responded to those who point out contradictions in her government’s stance toward Spain: “I also say this for all those who say that one day we say one thing and the next day the opposite. No. There is total consistency in what we do.”

She likewise rejected the criticism from sectors of the Spanish right toward the king for the visit, and dismissed the idea that calling her “indigenist” is an offense. “Yesterday a certain character came out there talking about the indigenist president, imagine that. How is that going to be an offense?” she said.

The president summed up the meeting with a personal assessment of the monarch: “It was a very cordial meeting, he is a very down-to-earth person.”

The meeting also included cultural agreements: three exhibitions will travel to Spain at different times, one about the refugees of the Spanish Republic, another dedicated to Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, and a third about Maya culture.

Both heads of State also addressed commercial and economic matters, and the king raised the importance of respecting the United Nations Charter, the self-determination of peoples, and peace.

At the end of the meeting they toured Diego Rivera’s mural “Epic of the Mexican People” on the staircases of the National Palace, where they continued the conversation.

The king subsequently departed for Guadalajara, where this Friday he will attend the match between the Spanish national team and Uruguay’s as part of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The post Meeting With Felipe VI Was Achieved Thanks to Spain’s Recognition of the Abuses of the Conquest: Sheinbaum appeared first on Mexico Solidarity Media.

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