Sheinbaum Resolves Mexico-Spain Colonial Dispute

BARCELONA, Spain - Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum effectively resolved a long-standing diplomatic dispute with Spain over the country's colonial history during her visit here on Saturday, declaring the matter closed with a handshake and brief remarks alongside Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez.

Sheinbaum arrived for the IV Meeting in Defense of Democracy, an assembly of representatives from 15 nations addressing concerns about rising illiberalism. Upon landing, she stated, "There is no diplomatic crisis, there never was one," emphasizing instead the need to "recognize the efforts of the indigenous people of our land." Moments later, she shook hands with Sánchez, signaling a thaw in relations strained for years.

The dispute originated in 2019, when Sheinbaum's predecessor, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, sent a letter to Spain's King Felipe VI and Pope Francis demanding an official acknowledgment and apology for abuses against indigenous populations during the Spanish conquest of Mexico, which began in 1521 and lasted three centuries. Spanish officials rejected the request, arguing that contemporary standards could not judge historical actions, leading to a cooling of...