This is the full text of the response from Tabarnia (Barcelona and Tarragona region, Spain before Claudia Sheinbaum’s inauguration as president.
Dear President Dr. Claudia Sheinbaum, we would like to clarify a few things:
No, Tenochtitlan was not founded almost two centuries ago; Tenochtitlan is approximately seven centuries old. It is at least surprising that we have to explain this from Spain to the president of Mexico.
In 1839, the highest authorities of Mexico and Spain signed a treaty of peace and friendship, vowing to forever forget any quarrel between the two countries. You are not only lying in your statement, but you are also breaking the word given at the time by the Mexican government.
When Spain left Mexico, this country was much larger, richer, and more populous than the United States. The current situation in Mexico is in no way the responsibility of the Kingdom of Spain.
Mexico wasn’t part of Spain; it was Spain. Mexico was never a colony; it was a viceroyalty, and very advanced for its time. For example, the University of Mexico was founded in 1551, almost a century before the first university in the United States. Spain also founded the first university in the Americas (Santo Domingo, 1538) and the first university in Asia (San Ignacio in Manila, 1590), as well as dozens of universities across the continent where both Spaniards and Indigenous people could study without distinction. In fact, at the University of Salamanca in 1556, there was even a Black professor (Juan Latino).
Marriage between Spaniards and Indigenous people was legal from the very beginning of the conquest. To make a comparison: in the United States, interracial marriage wasn’t legal in all states until 1967. Whether England, the United States, or Her Excellency President Dr. Claudia Sheinbaum lectures us about the treatment of Indigenous people is questionable. The most optimistic estimates suggest that only 1.5% of the attackers in the final assault on Tenochtitlan were Spanish. The rest were indigenous people allied with the Spanish and massacred by the Mexica for decades. It is well known and acknowledged that the Spanish wanted to preserve the city while their indigenous allies tried to burn it to the ground. It is very bold of you, President Sheinbaum, to speak on your behalf, as it is also of López Obrador, who has no indigenous ancestry but does have a grandfather from Santander (Spain) and a grandmother born to Asturians.
After the conquest of Mexico, several direct descendants of Isabel Moctezuma, daughter of Moctezuma II, moved to Spain. Many of them received noble titles in recognition of their lineage. They were received with respect and every honor. Today, more than 350 descendants of Moctezuma live in Spain. They already “forgave” Spain everything they should have “forgiven” centuries ago.
The most reputable historians and archaeologists have proven beyond a reasonable doubt that the Flower Wars were essentially genocides, not to mention cannibalism and pedophilia, common practices in the pre-Hispanic period. It is estimated that more than 50,000 people were sacrificed in the main temple of Tenochtitlan. Hundreds of skulls from child sacrifices have been found in Mexico City itself in Tzompantli. Andrés de Tapia, a Spanish soldier who accompanied Cortés in the conquest of Mexico in 1521, speaks of seeing a gigantic tower made entirely of the heads of sacrificed men, women, and children. In 2015, such a tower was found in the temple of Huey Tzompantli in Mexico City. This is just one example of a brutality that has been silenced for centuries and for which no apology has ever been sought. Although we honestly don’t know exactly who should apologize, to whom, and for what reason, do you see the absurdity of this?
Mexico cannot apologize to Spain for the conquest of Mexico for the simple reason that 500 years ago, neither Spain nor Mexico existed. Be that as it may, the descendants of the Spanish conquistadors are not the Spaniards who live in Spain; they are the Mexicans who live in Mexico. It sounds ridiculous to have to explain something so obvious.
Since Mexico’s independence, we’ve all known the treatment Indigenous peoples and Indigenous languages have received. The living conditions, rights, and proportion of Indigenous peoples’ speakers were infinitely better then than they are now. Don’t blame the Spanish for this in 2024/25.
We believe the Mexican government’s apology to the King of Spain is nothing more than a smokescreen to divert attention from more important issues. For example, in the last 10 years, an average of 40,000 to 50,000 people have been murdered in Mexico each year (and rising). During López Obrador’s administration, from December 1, 2018, to September 24, 2024, approximately 198,640 murders have been recorded.
For all the above reasons, we support the Spanish government’s decision to renounce sending any representative to Claudia Sheinbaum’s inauguration, and we suggest that all Spaniards and all European Union neighbors and allies consider choosing other destinations for their vacations and investments in the coming years if this woman remains in the Mexican government.
Regrettably, a sister nation like Mexico allows its president to humiliate in this way the Head of State of Spain, a longtime friend, sister, and ally of Mexico.
Source: La Verdad no Peca
