HoustonChronicle.com
July 18, 2004, 10:19AM
Spanish royalty visits Mexico City
Associated Press
MEXICO CITY -- Spain's Crown Prince Felipe and Princess Letizia of Asturias ate lunch with Mexico's president and met with the descendants of Spanish immigrants on Saturday in Mexico City.
The couple arrived Friday for a five-day visit to Mexico in one of their first trips abroad since their May 22 wedding.
The prince and princess were greeted by cheering crowds outside the Spanish Casino, a social club for Spanish immigrants to Mexico built near the end of the 19th Century.
"This country has always received us with open arms," Felipe told about 150 people gathered inside the club's gilded halls, decorated with portraits of the Spanish royal family and Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortes.
Centuries ago, the Spanish conquest laid waste to Mexican Indian civilization. More recently, Mexico provided asylum to thousands of refugees from the 1936-39 civil war and the regime of Spanish dictator Francisco Franco.
"We're very happy to be here in Mexico, to enjoy the hospitality and friendship of a country with which the Spanish maintain close ties of history, blood, language and culture," the prince said.
Outside, about 500 people waited to catch a glimpse of the prince and princess as they departed for a lunch appointment with Mexico President Vicente Fox.
As the couple left, women chanted "Felipe" at the bearded prince, who wore a blue double-breasted blazer. The prince's voice was somewhat hoarse during public appearances.
Princess Letizia, who previously worked as a TV anchorwoman in Guadalajara, Mexico, shook hands as she passed through the crowds.
The prince and princess attended a private lunch in the afternoon with President Fox and first lady Marta Sahagun at the presidential residence.
A visit to a photo exhibition at the Spanish Cultural Center was planned for Saturday evening. On Monday, the prince and princess are scheduled to attend the inauguration of an international conference of Hispanic scholars.