Third State Visit to Mexico of King Carl XVI Gustav and Queen Silvia

Their Majesties King Carl XVI Gustav of Sweden and Queen Silvia were on a three-day state visit to Mexico, March 12 to March 14, 2024.  It was their third state visit to Mexico. The first time was in 1982 and the second time was in 2002.

King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia were received by Mexican President, Lopez Obrador, and his wife, Beatriz Gutiérrez Müller.

The State Visit aims to consolidate the good relations between Sweden and Mexico and strengthen economic and political ties, focusing on innovation, partnership, trade, and investment. 

King Carl XVI Gustaf and President Lopez Obrador of Mexico. Photo credit: Kungahuset

The Queen of Sweden and the First Lady of Mexico. Photo credit: Kungahuset

According to The World Bank, Mexico is the second-largest economy in Latin America. The country has solid macroeconomic institutions, abundant natural resources, and a diversified manufacturing base connected to global value chains. It has a population of almost 130 million. 

Ahead of the visit, President Obrador said:“We are going to exchange opinions; they want to talk with us. They are very interested in what is being done in the cultural sphere; they are going to go to the Mayan region.  We [with Beatriz] are going to have lunch with the king and queen; we are going to be accompanied by the Foreign Secretary [Alicia Bárcena Ibarra], and a delegation is coming because the king is the head of state."

Photo credit: Kungahuset

Many Swedish businesses have been operating in Mexico for decades, and with its young population and dynamic economy, there are good opportunities to deepen and broaden trade. Mexico is a prominent multilateral player with which Sweden enjoys close cooperation. 

Photo credit: Kungahuset

“It is an honor to be Mexican. We are very pleased that King Carl XVI Gustaf has decided to come to Mexico as head of state, an intelligent, educated, and generous monarch", says President Obrador.

The three-day program of the State Visit took place in Mexico City and Mérida, in the state of Yucatán.

Photo credit: Kungahuset

After the private meeting, the President offered the Swedish king and queen a guided tour of the murals in the National Palace; they also held a working lunch.

Earlier in the day, the monarchs visited the Obelisk to the Niños Héroes, where King Carl XVI Gustaf laid a wreath at the monument.

State Banquet. Photo credit: Kungahuset

Photo credit: Kungahuset

Their Majesties visited the Senate and attended the inauguration of the first Mexico-Sweden Business Forum, which will serve to promote trade and investment opportunities between the two countries.

In addition, King Carl XVI Gustaf inaugurated the new offices of Ericsson, a company that has operated for more than 120 years in Mexico. Ericsson is a Swedish company headquartered in Stockholm.

The Swedish King and Queen are welcomed by the locals in Yucatan. Photo credit: Kungahuset

On the third and final day of the state visit, King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia traveled to Merida, Yucatan, accompanied by the Swedish Minister for International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade, Johan Forssell, and a delegation of 35 business executives. 

The King and Queen visited the historic Mayan town of Uxmal. Photo credit: Kungahuset 

The King and Queen with the Governor of Yucatan and Mexico's Minister of Culture. Photo credit: Kungahuset

During their visit to Yucatan, Their Majesties had a meeting with Mexico's Minister of Culture, Alejandra Frausto Guerrero, and the Governor of Yucatan, Mauricio Vila Dosal. They also met local business leaders and the local community. 

Photo credit: Kungahuset

Merida is the capital of the Mexican state of Yucatán. It is the largest city in southeastern Mexico. It is located in the northwest corner of the Yucatán Peninsula, about 35 km inland from the coast of the Gulf of Mexico.

While in Yucatan, the king and queen took the opportunity to visit the historic Mayan town of Uxmal, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Photo credit: Kungahuset

According to UNESCO, the Mayan town of Uxmal, in Yucatán, was founded c. A.D. 700 and had some 25,000 inhabitants. 

The Pyramid of the Soothsayer, as the Spaniards called it, dominates the ceremonial center, which has well-designed buildings decorated with a profusion of symbolic motifs and sculptures depicting Chaac, the god of rain. The ceremonial sites of Uxmal, Kabah, Labna, and Sayil are considered the high points of Mayan art and architecture.