Every land on this global stage bears scars carved by history. Focusing on our era as written records show, the balm of memory belongs to a peninsula—an amalgam of peoples in constant conflict—that two thousand years ago was conquered by the mighty Roman Empire after having Phoenician or Carthaginian enclaves along the Mediterranean, which Greco-Roman skill transformed into Mare Nostrum.
From the Roman conquest and domination, which was as bloody and cruel as any, war is the mother of history, as many historians say. Yet in that long arc we inherited institutions, the line of Hispano emperors, a common language, and monuments that fill many with pride. The Greco-Roman world gave us a cultural backbone that persisted long after the empire’s power waned. When viewed today, one might jokingly imagine Monty Python’s Life of Brian and ask what we truly owe to Rome; would we have wished the conquest had carried less suffering? Perhaps. Yet the past cannot be rewritten by present desires. It happened as it happened.
That Roman imprint did not vanish; it blended with later arrivals and left a new layer: Visigothic rule followed the collapse of Roman authority, and centuries of Islamic culture later left remarkable cities and a spiritual geography that remains visible in the Iberian Peninsula. Then came the Reconquista, a long, shifting process in which rival kingdoms—Portuguese, Castilian, Aragonese—faced outward toward the Mediterranean, Africa, and the Atlantic. Westward sails in search of spices and new routes culminated in a turning point: the voyage that brought a new world into focus. On October 12, 1492, Cristóbal Colón, sailing for Castile, landed on Guanahani, opening a contact that would redefine continents. For the newcomers and for Europe, it was both encounter and clash.
Neither Colón nor the conquistadors and explorers who followed were saints. In three centuries of Spanish presence in the Americas there were excesses that the Crown and many governors tried to curb, because it was understood that vast territories were not mere colonies or factories but integral parts of the monarchy. Viceroyalties, audiencias, municipalities, universities, and missions were created. The Laws of the Indies are full of examples of governance that treated the territories as part of the same realm. The peoples who had roots there endured; others joined to resist local tyrants, because even if the picture was not utopian, the blending of communities grew into a rich tapestry. A mestizaje that fascinates today, sharing languages and traditions because the missionary and scholarly labor helped preserve ancient tongues as they spread across continents. Every arrival from other corners of the world enriched the mix, and the world grew smaller as continents connected.
If Hispanic America maintains an unbreakable link with Spain despite some harsh legend-peddling by ardent historians, the Spain-Mexico bond stands as a key example. Mexico became the most important viceroyalty after Nueva España, and traces of that era are visible throughout the country. Today signs of that history appear in politics, culture, and everyday life, and many debate how best to acknowledge the past while shaping a hopeful future. Some voices advocate public apologies, a notion that has sparked debate since the late 2010s; others argue that memory requires no apology to remain instructive. What matters is understanding history rather than scoring points over it.
For different perspectives, in 2022 the Princesa de Asturias Prize in Social Sciences recognized archaeologist Eduardo Matos Moctezuma. He stated: “History is implacable in its judgments. You cannot manipulate it. History and archaeology show that empires rose and faded, and powerful rulers fell not by forgiveness but by time.” He added that conquest carried a spiritual phase that followed the military victory, and that Nueva España continued until 1821 when independence movements reshaped the map. A few years later, in 1836, a treaty of Peace and Friendship formalized diplomatic ties, with Mexico recognizing Spain and Spain recognizing Mexico as a sovereign nation. Those reflections offer a blueprint for moving beyond old grievances toward shared understanding. — Eduardo Matos Moctezuma, 2022.
Another, more pointed voice comes from Mexican journalist Eduardo Ruiz-Healy, who argues that Mexico as a nation rose in 1821, not before; before that it was the Viceroyalty of Nueva España—and the era of señoríos and cacicazgos. On the question of apologies, he suggests that asking the king of Spain to apologize for past actions five centuries ago is misplaced when many Mexicans supported the Spaniards in their struggle to defeat the Aztecs, who were viewed by some as violent rulers. This debate reflects the ongoing struggle to interpret a history that shaped two peoples bound by complex, enduring ties.
In this ongoing conversation, political actors too often play the game of estrangement for partisan ends. People deserve a calmer approach to history—free from sensationalism—and a diplomatic posture that favors constructive engagement. It is reassuring when leaders separate policy from rhetoric, and it is hoped that the new leadership in Mexico will pursue a course that benefits a people historically and culturally tied to Spain. The aim is a future where memory informs policy rather than inflames division.