Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum was harassed by an unknown man on Tuesday afternoon who approached her, tried to kiss her, and touched her breast, all while a crowd surrounding the president looked on in astonishment without any immediate reaction. The harassment only stopped when Juan José Ramírez Mendoza, head of the General Directorate of Aides-de-Camp — a team of people who accompany the president in her daily activities — stepped in between the president and the man. The incident was captured on cell phone cameras by bystanders.

The delayed reaction of the team following Sheinbaum — who, like her predecessor Andrés Manuel López Obrador, has rejected the idea of a Presidential Guard — has once again brought the level of presidential protection into sharp focus, in a country still reeling from the recent assassination of Carlos Manzo, the mayor of Uruapan, Michoacán, at a public event.

Incidents like the one the president experienced this Tuesday happen every day to women of all ages in every corner of Mexico. According to data from the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI), 45% of women in Mexico have been victims of street harassment. The president left the National Palace at midday, and walked to the Ministry of Public Education in the city center, less than half a mile away. Sheinbaum, who occasionally makes public walks like this, was surrounded by people who approached her to take pictures and greet her.

At one point, directly in front of the camera that was filming her walk, a man approached her from her left side, put his arm around her shoulders, leaned in to kiss her neck, and touched her breast. The president, who until that moment had been greeting the people around her from the opposite side, removed the aggressor’s hands, which were already resting on her body, without being abrupt but visibly uncomfortable, and a few moments later she smiled nervously at Juan José Ramírez’s intervention. Seconds later, she was heard saying, “Don’t worry,” and signaled to her colleague that the man could take the photo.

According to the Federal Penal Code, non-consensual physical contact could constitute the crime of sexual harassment, which carries a sentence of one to five years in prison. In Mexico City, such conduct is punishable by up to four years in prison, in addition to a fine and the possibility of a restraining order. Late last night, some media outlets reported that the man had been arrested, although no authority has confirmed this.

For activists and women’s rights advocates, this incident, which demonstrates the normalization of this behavior in Mexico, could serve as an opportunity for President Sheinbaum to send a strong message about the sexist violence from which she herself, in front of dozens of people with cameras in hand, has not been able to escape.

The president did not make any statements until almost midnight, but the Secretariat for Women — created by her administration — and other groups issued a statement that acknowledged that “unfortunately, no woman is exempt from experiencing sexual harassment” in Mexico. “It is essential that men understand that this type of behavior not only violates women but is also a crime.” The statement added that “this type of violence should not be trivialized” and that “reporting it is essential to achieving justice and contributing to cultural change.”

Lawyer and feminist activist Diana Luz Vázquez reflects: “The president has a great opportunity, through her voice and her position, to set boundaries against violence and against men who perpetrate violence. If a man does that to a female president, imagine the violence to which all of us are exposed. Men who feel that our bodies are at their disposal or that they can touch us without any consequences. I think it’s a good time for her to send an important message about this violence and to stop normalizing the actions of her male ‘colleagues’ who are also abusers.”

Specialists and international organizations report that victims of street harassment often experience a combination of physical and emotional reactions, such as confusion, anxiety, guilt, shame, or symptoms of stress, in response to the trauma caused by the aggression.

Security failures

In November 2024, Sheinbaum clarified that, just as her predecessor, López Obrador, she would not have a security detail like previous presidents, who had the Presidential General Staff at their service, an elite group within the Army exclusively responsible for the security of Mexican presidents and their families. Questioned about her decision, Sheinbaum responded: “The Presidential General Staff was abolished when President López Obrador took office.”

Among the reasons the former president gave for dismantling this group were its high cost to the public coffers and the argument that, in reality, he didn’t need it, because the people would take care of him. This time, the people have failed to prevent President Sheinbaum from suffering an episode of harassment that highlights the normalization of gender-based violence in Mexico.

The incident comes at a time when the safety of officials in Mexico is being called into question, following the assassination Saturday night of Mayor Carlos Manzo in Uruapan during a public celebration. The mayor was known for leading operations himself in the streets, wearing a bulletproof vest and harshly criticizing the security strategy promoted by the governing Morena party to combat violence in the country.

The ease with which the man was able to approach Sheinbaum has also generated opinions and questions about the possibility that he might have been armed and could have caused her further harm.

Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAÍS USA Edition

Mexico and Spain have taken what appears to be a definitive step toward diplomatic reconciliation after nearly seven years of tension stemming from a dispute over differing interpretations of the Spanish Conquest.

In 2019, former Mexican president Andrés Manuel López Obrador demanded that the Spanish Crown apologize for the violence committed during that period against Indigenous peoples — an appeal that the current president, Claudia Sheinbaum, has made her own. Spain, which initially dismissed any possibility of issuing such an apology in strong terms, acknowledged last Friday — through Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares — that there was “pain and injustice” inflicted upon the Indigenous peoples of the Americas.

While the statement did not come directly from the Crown, as the Mexican government had hoped, it nonetheless represents a gesture of enormous symbolic and political significance, aimed at repairing the strained diplomatic relationship — which at times verged on hostility — between two nations that share more than just a language.

Signs of rapprochement had been growing — not through politics, but through culture. Spain granted two Princess of Asturias Awards this year to Mexico: the Arts Award to photographer Graciela Iturbide, and the Concord Award to the National Museum of Anthropology. In turn, Mexico loaned more than 400 pre-Hispanic pieces related to Indigenous women’s art to be exhibited in four shows in Madrid.

It was precisely at the opening of one of these exhibitions, titled Half of the World: Women in Indigenous Mexico, where the Gordian knot that politics had failed to untangle was finally loosened. There, Albares stated that the shared history between Mexico and Spain, “like all human history, has its light and dark sides.” “There was injustice, and it is right to acknowledge it and regret it. This is part of our shared history; we cannot deny or forget it,” he said. The minister also reiterated the Spanish people’s gratitude for Mexico’s welcome of exiles from Franco’s dictatorship — another point underscoring the fraternal bond between the two countries.

Sheinbaum, who welcomed the Spanish minister’s acknowledgment, has continued to uphold López Obrador’s demand for an apology, first made through a letter sent to King Felipe VI in early 2019. In her recent memoir, Journal of a Historic Transition, about the start of her presidency, Sheinbaum recounts that the Crown’s lack of response to that letter — and the “campaign” of attacks unleashed against her predecessor by various political and media sectors in Spain — led to her controversial decision not to invite the King to her inauguration. The ceremony was historic, marking the first time a woman has led the Latin American nation in its two centuries of independence. Sheinbaum has stated, both in her book and in several public appearances, that the letter sent by the former president — which she describes as “respectful” — deserved an official response in kind, even if only to say: no.

The decision not to invite King Felipe VI to that official event only further strained bilateral relations. Sheinbaum’s book reveals that Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, made every effort — through quick, informal channels — to persuade her to change her stance. She did not yield. “I told him it wasn’t the right moment,” she recounts. López Obrador was still in power at the time, though already in the final months of his presidency. Sheinbaum has denied that her decision to exclude the Spanish monarch was influenced by her predecessor. On the contrary, she says she shares his call for historical forgiveness, and she has repeated many of his same arguments in defending her position: that “forgiveness ennobles,” that even Pope Francis — who also received the letter — issued an apology, and that Mexico itself has asked forgiveness from other peoples once massacred by the state.

While it seemed that Sheinbaum would maintain López Obrador’s unyielding line, the same appeared true of the Spanish Crown and government. Yet the channels were different. Beneath the rigid layer of politics, a vigorous cultural exchange flowed between the two nations. During the exhibitions of pre-Hispanic artifacts in Madrid, Princess Leonor, the King’s daughter, expressed her wish to visit Mexico — its Chapultepec Forest and the remnants of its Indigenous civilizations. Sheinbaum did not comment directly on this extended hand, but emphasized that there was no rupture with Spain, as evidenced by the ongoing economic, touristic, academic, and cultural exchanges. The political elephant in the room, however, remained unaddressed. After all, the last time King Felipe and the Spanish prime minister had visited Mexico was before the explosive letter demanding an apology: the former in December 2018, the latter in January 2019.

Sheinbaum has said that sending the pre-Hispanic pieces to Spain aimed to “make Mexico’s cultural greatness visible there.” “Honoring this legacy means acknowledging the abuses of the past and of the present,” she declared this Friday. The Mexican president criticized the lingering notion that the Conquest was a civilizing process for “barbaric” peoples — or that it was merely an “encounter” between cultures — interpretations still deeply rooted in both countries. “They even taught us that in school,” she said. “But it was very violent. It was a process of violent invasion.”

Spain has begun to thaw diplomatic relations before the seven-year mark, despite protests from more conservative sectors. “It’s important. It’s a first step,” Sheinbaum acknowledged, adding, as she addressed Albares: “Congratulations on this first step, Spanish foreign minister.”

Spain began to thaw bilateral relations before the seventh anniversary of the rupture, despite the demands of the most conservative sectors. “It’s important. It’s a first step,” Sheinbaum acknowledged, adding, addressing Albares: “Congratulations on this first step, Spanish foreign minister.”

Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAÍS USA Edition

Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares said on Friday that the history shared between Spain and Mexico, “like all human history, has its light and dark sides. There has been pain and injustice toward the Indigenous peoples. There was injustice, and it is right to acknowledge it and regret it. This is part of our shared history; we cannot deny or forget it.” He made these remarks during the opening of the major exhibition called La mitad del mundo. La mujer en el México indígena (Half the World: Women in Indigenous Mexico) at the Instituto Cervantes, one of four venues showcasing over 400 works of art lent by the Mexican government of Claudia Sheinbaum, which is on display until March.

“This exhibition is a milestone in our relations and our brotherhood,” Albares continued. “The deeper meaning of what we are inaugurating goes far beyond these pieces.” The foreign minister also recognized the women whom Sheinbaum has been honoring throughout 2025, which Mexico declared the Year of Indigenous Women: “Today we reclaim the voices of so many women who were silenced. A fair recognition of who they were and who they are.”

Spain has thus taken a fundamental step in its rapprochement with Mexico after relations between the two countries — which share centuries of history — became frosty when former Mexican president Andrés Manuel López Obrador, in 2019, wrote to Spain’s King Felipe VI requesting an apology for the abuses of the conquest. While this was not an explicit request for an apology, the event has become the most significant gesture by the Spanish government after not responding to the former Mexican president’s letter.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum acknowledged this hours later: “Congratulations on this first step, Spanish foreign minister,” she said from the National Palace, noting it was the first time a Spanish official spoke of regretting the injustices of the Spanish conquest. “Forgiveness elevates nations; it is not humiliating. On the contrary. Recognizing history, acknowledging grievances, asking for forgiveness — or expressing regret — and embracing it as part of history elevates governments,” she added.

Sheinbaum, who had not directly requested an apology from Spain until this Monday, recalled that the letter sent by her predecessor to the Spanish monarch was “very diplomatic.” “We never agreed with how they responded,” said Sheinbaum. On Friday, on the eve of Day of the Dead — a very significant date in Mexico — that response arrived. Sources say this act — on the surface a cultural event — was meticulously organized for nearly a year at the highest diplomatic levels of both countries, almost as an exercise of apapachar — a Mexican term meaning “to caress the soul” — which was also the title of the song that closed the exhibition opening.

Luis García Montero, director of the Instituto Cervantes, inaugurated the event at the institution’s Madrid venue, which hosts the section on Indigenous textile culture, and helped set the tone for the ceremony. “The involvement of the two governments is proof of the efforts of two countries committed to culture and to fostering mutual recognition. Diplomacy is exercised through words, memory, and shared expression,” said the writer and director.

The remaining six speeches by institutional representatives reinforced the shared narrative both countries wished to convey. The event recognized Indigenous communities, Mexican culture, and the legacy of a people whose subjugation during the conquest was openly acknowledged. Phrases such as “This is not just an exhibition,” “It is a recognition of Mexican women,” and “It is a space of respect and future” were repeated. Colonial domination was acknowledged. Constant praise was given for the collaboration between the two countries, especially the Mexican president and the Spanish Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Culture, with attendees even shouting: “Viva México y viva España!”

All the speeches followed the same script: a show of unity around a mandate from both governments: a rapprochement after relations between the two countries—with a shared history spanning centuries—were frozen when former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador demanded in 2019 that the King apologize for the atrocities of the conquest. In a way, it was a grand act of recognition of Mexican culture from Madrid at the highest diplomatic level.

Diego Prieto, a spokesperson for Mexico’s Ministry of Culture, said that the exhibition is a dual acknowledgment: “Of the Indigenous peoples who were subjected to colonial domination but were able to resist; and of women, who have made significant progress, although more work is needed to counter centuries of male domination over women.”

Prieto also read aloud the letter that Sheinbaum asked him to read on October 8, when the first exhibition opened at Casa de México in Madrid: “The conquest was a brutal process of violence, imposition, and dispossession. It sought to destroy not just territories, but entire cultures, ancient knowledge, languages, and ways of life. Indigenous women suffered especially from this onslaught: they were silenced, displaced, and violated. Yet they resisted. […] Honoring this legacy means recognizing abuses of the past and present.”

On Monday, Sheinbaum emphasized the exhibition’s importance in a press conference: “We continue to promote the great civilizations that existed before the Spaniards, which shaped our country. And we continue to promote them abroad so that Spaniards can appreciate Mexico’s cultural greatness.” She also stressed that Mexico maintains relations with Spain.

2019: Year of the rupture

In 2019, López Obrador sent a letter to Felipe VI suggesting a joint ceremony in which the monarchy would assume responsibility for the atrocities committed during the conquest of Mexico and the years of the viceroyalty. The Mexican government interpreted the lack of response as disdain by the Spanish monarchy, and relations remained stalled until now, when the two countries have found art to be an alternative means of rapprochement.

Beyond this major exhibition, the rapprochement has also included awarding the Princess of Asturias prizes to photographer Graciela Iturbide and the National Museum of Anthropology. In her speech during the awards ceremony last Friday, Princess Leonor expressed her desire to visit the museum and highlighted its importance: “It preserves, exhibits, and disseminates Mexico’s pre-Hispanic legacy and Indigenous culture.”

Minister Albares also noted that next year Mexico will be the guest country at Fitur, Spain’s major tourism fair. For the first time, all 32 states of Mexico will be represented in Madrid, according to Mexican embassy sources. The Museo de América will host additional cultural activities, along with other joint initiatives that, for now, neither country wishes to reveal.

Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAÍS USA Edition