Spain’s King Felipe VI has met Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum at the National Palace in Mexico City, in his first trip to the country in more than seven years.
It was also the King’s first meeting with Sheinbaum since she took office almost two years ago. He flew in accompanied by foreign minister José Manuel Albares and education minister Milagros Tolón.
The last time the monarch had visited was in December 2018, for the inauguration of then president Andrés Manuel López Obrador. Sheinbaum welcomed him at the Puerta de Honor, where the Mexican and Spanish anthems were played.
The two leaders posed for photographs before holding a private meeting with their delegations. In a message on social media, Sheinbaum described the encounter as cordial and said the pair had discussed indigenous peoples and the historical links between the two nations.
She said both sides had agreed to strengthen bilateral relations. Mexico’s government said the visit had opened a new stage of dialogue and respect, leaving behind the dispute over the conquest.
It noted the two countries would mark 50 years since the re-establishment of diplomatic relations in 2027. The two sides also agreed to develop a programme of cultural exhibitions in Spain, including projects on the Spanish exile in Mexico and the country’s indigenous cultures.
Albares called relations between the two nations excellent and fraternal. He cast the meeting as a boost to ties ahead of the Ibero-American Summit, due to take place in Madrid on November 4-5.
Relations had cooled sharply in recent years. In 2019, López Obrador wrote to Felipe VI demanding that Spain apologise for abuses committed during its conquest of Mexico.
The letter went unanswered. Sheinbaum cited that silence when she declined to invite the King to her inauguration in October 2024.
The mood shifted in March, when Felipe VI acknowledged there had been much abuse during the conquest and said such conduct, judged by present-day values, was not something to feel proud of.
Sheinbaum welcomed his remarks and travelled to Spain in April to join a gathering of progressive leaders in defence of democracy.
After the meeting, the pair toured the palace’s Diego Rivera murals, which chart Mexican history from its pre-Hispanic civilisations through the conquest and colonial rule.
The King had flown to Mexico at Sheinbaum’s invitation to attend Spain’s World Cup match against Uruguay in Guadalajara, the final game of the group stage, on June 26. He was also due to meet the governor of Jalisco and members of Mexico’s Spanish community.
