It is said that every nation writes and teaches its children the history that suits its interests and favors it. Every nation? No, not all. In an exceptional case worthy of study, Spain has unashamedly assumed the black legend according to which it is the cause of a series of errors that weigh like a slab on the conscience of past, present and future compatriots. We spoke with María Saavedra, director of the CEU Elcano Chair and professor of Contemporary History at CEU San Pablo University, about one of the events that, far from making Spain great, has been one of the black legends that suffocate it the most: the conquest of America.