Overview
- José Manuel Albares said on Oct. 31 in Madrid that Spain and Mexico share a history with “claroscuros” and acknowledged “pain and injustice” toward Mexico’s indigenous peoples during the Conquest.
- The comments were delivered at the inauguration of the exhibition “La mitad del mundo. La mujer en el México indígena,” a Mexico-focused cultural event in the Spanish capital.
- The Community of Madrid’s government called for Albares to resign if he does not retract, with spokesperson Miguel Ángel García Martín labeling him “the worst foreign minister,” as PP leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo and ex-minister José Manuel García-Margallo also condemned the remarks.
- Mexican president Claudia Sheinbaum praised the statement as a “first step” toward reconciliation and reiterated that seeking forgiveness elevates nations.
- Media and analysts framed the wording as symbolic recognition within cultural diplomacy rather than a formal state apology, and the episode revived Mexico’s unresolved 2019 request to Spain’s king for an apology.