A rare admission by the Spanish crown comes amid years of tension with Mexico, but no formal apology was offered Spain’s King Felipe VI has acknowledged that the Spanish conquest of the Americas involved “much abuse” and “ethical controversies,” a rare admission by the Spanish crown, which has never issued a formal apology to its former colonies.   Spain’s conquest of Mexico began in 1519, when Hernan Cortes led an expedition that ultimately overthrew the Aztec Empire. Armed with superior