Ask yourself: are you the person you are today because of the things you experienced in the past? This question also applies to Latin American countries today, and the answer would be yes. Spanish colonization in Latin America affected the respective countries in almost every aspect of life, politics and economics. The Spanish influence is therefore an undeniable element which cannot be ignored in all the countries which have been under the influence of the great Spanish Empire. The consequences of the Spanish invasion were both negative and positive for the populations living in the countries after the 15th century. On the one hand, Spanish colonization helped the economies of Latin American countries, introduced new ways of organizing cities, and created states with a unified religion and language. But, on the other hand, Spanish colonization could have worsened the poverty that persisted in most countries, demolished many indigenous languages ​​and cultures, and created discrimination against indigenous people living in those countries. Christopher Columbus' voyage to the Americas forever changed the history, life, architecture, landscape and nature of many of the countries that make up Latin America. The conquistadors' colonial expansion took place under the now-unified Kingdom of Castile and Aragon. After Columbus' arrival in what is now Haiti, began a 350-year period of Spanish rule that began with the simple goal of creating wealth and spreading Christianity in the New World; however, it ended in disaster, death and loss for many. Most of the Spaniards who sailed halfway around the world were in many cases poor nobles who wanted a fresh start to create wealth, and they would do so using the indig......mid paper......story to make better decisions and reforms that will serve all the people instead of just a small group. No one can fully understand a country and its people without exploring that country's past. Works Cited Schultz, Jeff and Sean Johnson. “A Journey Through the Spanish Conquest.” University of Michigan. University of Michigan, nd Web. December 3, 2013. Francisco Lopez de Gomara, translated and edited by Leslie Byrd Simpson, Cortes, the life of the conqueror by his secretary, Berkeley: University of California Press, 1964, p. 4. “Resources for”. Latin America and the Caribbean. World Bank, October 7, 2003. Web. December 3, 2013Menchú, Rigoberta and Elisabeth Burgos-Debray. Me, Rigoberta Menchú: an Indian woman in Guatemala. London: Verso, 1984. Print. Grinevald, Colette. “Language endangerment in South America: a programmatic approach.” (nd): 125-59. Print.