Symbolic gesture by the king of Spain accelerates a thaw in relations with Mexico

Mexico and Spain are moving toward a thaw after seven years of diplomatic tensions and one year of displays of goodwill. The trail of gestures by Spanish authorities, which their Mexican counterparts have been taking note of, culminated this Monday with the Spanish monarch’s acknowledgment of the “abuses” committed during the colonization of the Americas by the conquistadors. This rapprochement by Felipe VI — unthinkable when former Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador sent him a letter demanding accountability for the atrocities committed against Indigenous peoples during that period — marks a turning point. It reverses, at least partially, the rift that opened in 2019. Spain has been softening its position, from a complete refusal to make any concessions, to the king’s recent statements, and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has welcomed the shift. In the current international scenario, with Donald Trump exerting pressure on Mexico from the north, it is also in her government’s best interest to achieve a de-escalation and secure a firm ally with whom it shares fundamental historical and commercial ties.

The gesture is significant. “We must remember that López Obrador’s letter was sent to the king, not to [prime minister] Pedro Sánchez’s government,” notes international relations expert Pía Taracena. “It’s important that the head of state said it,” she adds. Months earlier, the Spanish Foreign Minister, José Manuel Albares, had spoken in the same vein and in the same forum: an exhibition on indigenous women of Mexico, organized at the National Archeology Museum in Madrid. Albares was not, however, the decisive speaker that Mexican authorities wanted to hear from; instead, they were still awaiting a response from the monarch that has taken seven years to arrive. The public statements on Monday help to open up political relations at the highest level, and official sources confirm that a visit by a delegation of Spanish ministers to Mexico is expected in the coming months.

“A harmonious relationship is beneficial to both Mexico and Spain, especially in the current global climate,” notes historian David Jorge of El Colegio de México, emphasizing the “extraordinary ties” between both countries in other areas as well. Spain is the second-largest foreign investor in Mexico, second only to the United States, and Mexico is the third-largest recipient of Spanish investment abroad, also behind the United States and the United Kingdom. The volume of trade between the two countries reached approximately €11 billion (US$12.7 billion) in 2025 alone. The significant political tensions between the two countries stood in stark contrast to this reality.

“Spain has always considered Mexico a strategic country. Mexico is the most internationalized and open country in Latin America,” said the economic and commercial advisor at the Spanish Embassy in Mexico in December. For the European country, she added, Mexico is the key “platform” for “expanding into other markets.” The contrast was also palpable in the cultural sphere, which throughout this time has served as a bridge between the two nations and has helped them maintain close ties in a tense political context.

The understanding seems set to finally extend to the political arena, where both governments are playing on an increasingly slippery international chessboard. “The context for the [Mexican] president is difficult, with pressure from the United States over the fight against organized crime. There can’t be so much tension. [She’ll say]: ‘If I’m going to be fighting with some countries, I already have enough pressure from Donald Trump without keeping up the tension with Spain,’” Pía Taracena points out. The government of Pedro Sánchez, which is leading the European opposition to Trump’s interventionist tendencies, could be a key ally for Mexico, which struggles daily to contain the onslaught from its northern neighbor.

Neither side is interested in emphasizing the differences at a time when the two governments, both progressive, share ideological similarities on fundamental issues. On the one hand, Mexico would never receive greater concessions from Spain with a conservative administration, as the right remains reluctant to compromise on the interpretation of history. A case in point: the leader of Spain’s main opposition group, Alberto Núñez Feijóo of the People’s Party (PP), responded to the monarch’s remarks by asserting his “pride” in the “Spanish legacy.” “To now re-examine events that occurred in the 15th century is absurd,” the PP leader added, making it clear that his party does not share the shift in position taken by the government and the Royal Household.

On the other hand, the onslaught from the international right, aligned with Trump and eager to seize control of Mexico, a key country in the region, and to oust the socialists from the Spanish government, forces Mexican authorities to prioritize other issues of greater urgency for their own interests. Finding a balance that will allow them to maintain a good political relationship, beyond their differences on colonization, “is more compatible with both the international and bilateral agendas,” the international relations expert emphasizes.

However, this rapprochement does not bury the underlying problem. The interpretation of that period of history is an open wound that shows no signs of healing in the short term. “What for one side is the distant past, for the other continues to have components of present reality,” David Jorge observes. “From the Spanish side, there is a failure to properly understand that this issue is not merely a diplomatic matter, but rather has an internal dimension,” he adds. The current context calls for a de-escalation that shifts this issue from the spotlight it has held in recent years, but it will eventually resurface, and the two countries will have to pick up the conversation where they left off last time.

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