Mexico breaks tradition, does not invite Spanish king to Sheinbaum's presidential inauguration

Mexican authorities decided to exclude the king of Spain from Claudia Sheinbaum's inauguration as president of Mexico. The reason stated by the Mexican government was Spain's lack of response to a request by Andrés Manuel López Obrador to apologize for the conquest of America.

A letter sent to Spain in 2019 by outgoing President Andrés Manuel López Obrador "unfortunately did not merit any response directly," Sheinbaum said in a statement explaining why King Felipe VI was excluded from the invitation.

This Tuesday, the Spanish government announced that the exclusion of the king was "unacceptable." It is a tradition in the appointments of heads of state in Latin America. Therefore, they announced that there will be no Spanish representation in the ceremony to be held on Oct. 1.

Sheinbaum, from the same party as López Obrador, said in the letter that the only representative from Spain invited would be socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, who is not the Spanish head of state, but rather the president of the Council of Ministers.

López Obrador's 2019 letter called for a "joint ceremony" for the "kingdom of Spain to express in a public and official way the recognition of the grievances caused" during the years of the conquest.

Spain and Mexico are united by powerful historical, human and economic ties, but during López Obrador's term in office, these have cooled.

AMLO has maintained a populist position and accepted the "Black Legend" narrative in public relations with Spain. The European country has denied that an apology is pertinent to the state of Mexico, which did not exist prior to the Spanish conquest of America, and whose very existence stems directly from the Spanish exploration.

In addition to the lack of response, Sheinbaum criticized that part of the 2019 letter was leaked to the press. "So far, this circumstance has not been clarified or answered directly to the government of Mexico," she added.

The president-elect pointed out that in her government, "the recognition of indigenous peoples is fundamental" as therein lies "the cultural greatness of Mexico." She also called on Spain to find "new ways of understanding." Sheinbaum did not mention that the American indigenous elites were integrated into the ruling class of the Spanish monarchy in the region, as well as the rights of their people maintained and recognized.

The outgoing president has declared a "pause" twice in relations with Spain, and in his morning press conference he has repeatedly criticized Spanish firms.