(ANSA) – MEXICO CITY, May 3 – The government of Mexico has officially apologized to the indigenous Maya people for the mistakes made against them after the Spanish conquest.
The apologies, which coincide with the 500th anniversary of the invasion, were initiated by Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador and his Guatemalan counterpart Alejandro Giamatti in the municipality of Felipe Carrillo Puerto, in the southeastern state of Quintana Roo. “We apologize to the Maya for the terrible abuses committed by individuals and national and foreign forces during the conquest, three centuries of colonial rule and the two centuries of independent Mexico,” said Lopez Obrador, referring in particular to the sectarian warfare of the nineteenth century. During the ceremony, the Mexican government also recognized the racism and discrimination that this ethnic minority continues to suffer, two centuries after the country’s independence.
The construction of the Maya train, the current flagship project of the Mexican government, was mentioned during the ceremony and sparked booing from residents. In June 2020, Lopez Obrador gave the green light to build a 1,500 km line that is expected to cross different parts of the Yucatan Peninsula, where the Cancun resort is located.
However, many organizations reject the project, arguing that it would harm the environment and the various indigenous communities in this area. (handle).
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