By Carlos Brito

Once again in Mexico, people are talking about the so-called “Conquest of Mexico” by Hernán Cortés. This is due to the controversial visit to Mexico by the President of the Community of Madrid, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, a prominent figure of the Spanish right wing. During her visit, Díaz Ayuso tried to vindicate the role of Hernán Cortés and the colonization of Mexico. She spoke of that episode in history as a civilizing adventure, one that should be understood as an act of love, not hate.

At IDEAL Spanish Mexico, we do not agree with this kind of discourse that attempts to romanticize a clash of two worlds, as the “Conquest of Mexico” was far from being an act of love, as Díaz Ayuso claims. In reality, it was a violent and rapacious act, destructive of entire civilizations, which enslaved thousands of human beings and whose primary motivation was the thirst for wealth and territory. We must view it this way, calling it out as something negative, so that the same thing is never repeated here or anywhere else in the world. Sadly, these types of events continue to be an everyday occurrence around the globe.

Despite this, at IDEAL Spanish Mexico, we are in favor of a reconciliation with our history; that is, we believe that, as Mexicans, we should leave behind the trauma of the conquest by the Spanish crown 500 years ago, because it is too heavy a burden to carry forever. To remain trapped in that outcry and grievance is like squeezing lemon juice onto a wound we don’t want to heal; it is a failure to mature as a society and a nation, like a child who throws a long tantrum on the floor instead of standing up and continuing to play happily.

To begin with, we need to approach our history without heavy passions, trying to see things more objectively, knowing that life does not present itself to us in black and white, of good guys and bad guys. That is why it is impossible to accept discourses like Díaz Ayuso’s, which glorifies the conquest of Mexico—a historical event so aggressive and violent—as an act of love. But we also cannot accept the discourse of so many who idealize the pre-Hispanic indigenous past and present that Mesoamerican past as a paradise on earth. Both Mesoamerican indigenous peoples and Spaniards were human beings with basic needs, ambitions, passions, wisdom, cruelty, love, and, in general, everything that makes us ordinary men and women. For this reason, our history has so many nuances that, if we view it strictly in black and white, we miss out on the richness of its reality.

A good reason to leave behind the trauma of the conquest is that, right now, we are already a nation that is neither completely indigenous nor European; we are the combination of both worlds. We can call that phenomenon whatever we want, but we like the term “mestizo,” even though indigenist purists claim that this “whitens” our indigenous past. Yet, it is an obvious phenomenon in Mexico: many of us look indigenous, but we are taller than an indigenous person, we have beards, and there is always a “blue-eyed one” or a “fair-skinned uncle” in the family; we speak Spanish and are mostly Catholic; Day of the Dead is a tribute to both Mictlán and All Saints; our food absolutely requires corn tortillitas and spicy salsita, but also an European style concha and a cuernito; and we could go on listing that dough of inseparable ingredients that is Mexico: mestizo Mexico.

Furthermore, modern Mexico is a vibrant country, with an intense culture that does not go unnoticed, with people who frequently stand out in various fields, with a nation of enviable potential, and people with a joy and enthusiasm that we don’t know where it comes from, but it is there, tangible every single day.

However, speaking of the conquest and colonization of Mexico, we still have a pending task with the indigenous people: historical justice for them. Indigenous peoples represent roughly 6.5% of the total population of Mexico (19% self-identify as indigenous, but 6.5% live in a community and speak an indigenous language). Indigenous people remain the poorest sector with the fewest opportunities among the Mexican population. But that situation is no longer the responsibility of Hernán Cortés or the Spaniards from 500 years ago; it is the responsibility of the majority of contemporary Mexicans—almost all of us mestizos—who reject our indigenous compatriots. We like indigenous people when they are in their towns, being picturesque for a photo, dancing, making crafts, or preparing delicious traditional food; but we would never invite them to our table. It is through our treatment of indigenous people that we show a face of Mexico that should embarrass us: the classism and racism we carry inside. Often, we spread the discourse of indignation over the conquest and the colony just to avoid facing this current responsibility.

Indigenous communities need the historical justice that we have owed them as an independent nation for 205 years.

So, let us leave behind hatreds and phobias, and accept who we are: a mostly mestizo nation, with its indigenous communities and diverse groups, which result in a great country: Mexico. We must let go of the heavy baggage of traumas we have carried since the country was founded 205 years ago—some stoked by leaders who benefit from that narrative—and move toward a great nation for its people, unique and unrepeatable in human history. We Mexicans are creative and resourceful when it comes to creating things and getting out of trouble with whatever we have at hand (My father says that a foreigner might starve to death if he has a can of food in his hands and no can opener, but if he is Mexican, he will open it even with his teeth if necessary), and what we have at hand is of an enviable richness: it is the heritage of our native peoples and also the richness of Hispanic culture. With that, we have everything we need to build the country we want, if we truly want to and work for it.