In a twist that has stirred political and historical debate, Beatriz Gutiérrez Müller—writer, historian, and wife of former Mexican president Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO)—has officially obtained Spanish nationality and relocated to Madrid’s upscale La Moraleja neighborhood. Her move reportedly aligns with her son Jesús Ernesto’s enrollment at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid.
What makes this development particularly paradoxical is Gutiérrez Müller’s prominent role in a campaign during AMLO’s presidency that demanded an apology from the Spanish Crown for atrocities committed during the conquest of Nueva España over 500 years ago.
In 2019, AMLO publicly called on King Felipe VI to acknowledge historical wrongdoings—a move widely attributed to Gutiérrez Müller’s influence and intellectual authorship. As a historian, she has been a vocal critic of Hernán Cortés and colonial narratives, even challenging the accounts of Bernal Díaz del Castillo in her academic work.
And now, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador’s brothers want to become Spanish citizens too!
Adding to the intrigue, AMLO’s brothers, Pío and Martín López Obrador, are also pursuing Spanish citizenship. Their eligibility stems from their grandfather José Obrador Revuelta, who emigrated from Santander, Spain, to Mexico in the 1940s. They are applying under Spain’s Ley de Memoria Democrática, which grants nationality to descendants of Spaniards exiled or displaced during the Franco regime.
While critics highlight the irony of the family’s shift toward Spanish citizenship after years of nationalist rhetoric and historical grievances, supporters argue that the move reflects personal and academic motivations rather than political contradiction.
Still, the optics of this transition—especially given Gutiérrez Müller’s past demands for royal accountability—continue to fuel public discourse on identity, legacy, and historical reconciliation.
Sources: El Imparcial / Debate
