Spain's King Felipe VI acknowledges "much abuse" in Americas conquest

King Felipe VI of Spain acknowledged Monday that "much abuse" occurred during the Spanish conquest of the Americas, even as protective measures were intended for indigenous populations.

The king made the remarks during an unscheduled visit to the exhibition "La mitad del Mundo. La mujer en el México indígena" (The Half of the World. Women in Indigenous Mexico) at the National Archaeological Museum in Madrid. He was accompanied by Mexico's ambassador to Spain, Quirino Ordaz Coppel.

"The Catholic monarchs, Queen Isabella with her directives, the Laws of the Indies," had "a desire for protection, which then reality makes so that it is not fulfilled as intended and there is much abuse," Felipe VI said, according to a video released by the Royal House on social media.

The king noted that when studying historical events through the lens of contemporary values and criteria, "obviously we cannot feel proud," but emphasized the importance of understanding such facts "in their proper context, not with excessive moral presentism, but with objective and rigorous analysis."

Felipe VI also stated that there were "moral and ethical struggles regarding how power was exercised" during that period. He stressed the need to "draw lessons" from history, acknowledging that controversies over the exercise of power existed from the beginning of the conquest.

The exhibition runs through March 22 at the National Archaeological Museum and was organized jointly by Spain's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Mexico's Ministry of Culture.

This marks the first time the Spanish monarch has publicly addressed the question of abuses during the conquest, despite repeated calls in recent years from former Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador for an apology from the Crown for "grievances" committed during the conquest. López Obrador had sent a letter to Felipe VI in March 2021 requesting such an acknowledgment, which had not previously received a direct response.