How Did The Portuguese Contribute To The Development Of Latin America?

Why the Spanish and The Portuguese were huge contributors to the culture and development of Latin America. The Spanish were the first Europeans to set foot in central and South America. Christopher Columbus was the first European to arrive in the Americas in 1492. This sailor was funded by the Spanish king and queen. He landed in the Bahamas, a small group of islands in the Caribbean and claimed the land for Spain. Hernán Cortés, also from Spain, landed on the coast of Mexico in South America in 1519. Shortly afterwards, the Spanish defeated the Aztec people. The Aztec had settled in what is now Mexico City in AD 1345. They had built a huge, wealthy empire by warfare against neighbouring peoples. The country of Mexico was taken by the Spanish