Against the backdrop of the World Cup, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and Spanish King Felipe VI are set to ease diplomatic tensions that soured after Mexico's demand for an apology over the colonial-era conquest.
Diplomacy between the two countries chilled in 2019 when Sheinbaum's political mentor, then-president Andres Manuel López Obrador, wrote a letter to the Spanish crown requesting the recognition of "crimes" committed in the 16th century.
Felipe VI never responded, and the Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs defended the history shared by both countries, rejecting the idea of an apology.
The move was the opening salvo to years of diplomatic tensions.
Sheinbaum did not invite the king to her inauguration in October 2024. Spain then declined to send a representative to the ceremony.
