Colonialism arrived in Latin America in the 15th century by Europeans. They discovered three forms of civilization: there were the Mayans, the Aztecs and the Incas (MLA, p. 13). After the arrival of Europeans, the nation transformed its cultural adaptations and suppressions. Before Latin America's independence, three institutions exercised control over the population of Latin America. First, there was the Spanish crown where the colonist had to produce revenue and did so by imposing a tax on everything. The government was universal and relatively efficient as it was necessary to collect its taxes. Second, there was the Catholic Church, which had a strong influence on people's daily lives. Finally, there was patriarchy (MLA, p. 20). In Latin America, as in most other countries in the world, men had complete control over their wives. These were primarily property rights, as illegitimate children could inherit their father's property. However, it seemed to be seen as a means of purity. Nevertheless, Latin American society presents a wide range of cultural mixtures. A new Latin American culture emerged, mixing one white person from Spain, called peninsular, two white people born in the Americas called creoles, three Native Americans and four African slaves (MLA, p. 20). This caused great racial diversity and social hierarchy. There were four basic racial categories, white, black, mixed race, a mixture of white and American Indian, and mulatto, a mixture of white and black (MLA, p. 19). There were constant attempts to classify and divide them into their own racial group. From the 16th century, Latin America had a great diversity of mixed race people. In the 19th century, Latin America experienced rapid changes in society...... middle of paper ...... there became independent from Spain under certain conditions; The US military would occupy Cuba and the Platt Amendment would be written into their constitution. The Platt Amendment was a guideline added by the United States Congress. This allowed Cuba to remain under the control and protection of the United States. The Platt Amendment “gave the United States the right to intervene as it wished in domestic politics.” Cuba was an American territory. The Cubans saw this as an elimination of their independence. The Platt Amendment remained in effect until 1934, when both decided to overturn it. At that time, Cuba separated from the United States and became a free country. As Latin American countries gained independence from Spain and Portugal, Northern Europe and the United States were industrializing and in great need of raw materials...