As a Latin American I see things similar but also different.
The USA, while it is called a western nation, it is less European than Argentina or Uruguay and at this moment is almost only 18% more European than Brazil.
Why then the USA is much more developed than Argentina or Brazil?
The answer is religion, you will say but the USA also has a lot of Catholics?
Well the answer is in the Bible there are some factors you can explain the USA wealth.
In the bible, it is said work is wealth, and laziness is poverty. it is written in the book of proverbs.
All humans are equal to God, you can read that in Galatians and Genesis or Acts
All material things are creation not Gods this is written in Exodus
God is love; 1 letter of John.
Christianity shaped idea all humans are equal, wealth is product of work and work is a commandment, all things are creation thus they can be explained scientifically and they may be used for the benefit of man, God is love and justice thus can not be natural phenomena or creation like animals or weather or the sun or moon.
Americans tend to dislike communism and this is to do to the fact personality worship, Americans tend to think we are all equal, science can get along with religion, in the USA creationism is popular even among scientists,
Why then Spain did not advance so much? the answer is simple, Catholicism has all those traits but considers wealth creation unnecessary, I mean spiritual richness is more sought.
Another problem Catholicism has become less puritan than Protestantism, more pagan ideas have gotten into it.
while modern USA, Brazil or Mexico are secular, the Christian base has mixed with the Roman right code, Ideas of democracy and science.
The USA has become a very vibrant nation thanks to its balance between material wealth and spiritual wealth, Latin America has sought more only spiritual wealth and has a more idiolectic culture.
Today secular politics have poisoned the American society perverting its morals and allowing materialism thus unbalancing the search for Spiritual and material goals.
Latin America also has a caste system where racism has kept millions of humans without privileges among them the native Americans and Africans
This is malverde worship, of Narco culture mexican cultural trait that promotes violence and drug dealing
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Native Americans are poorer in Mexico than Whites due to racism
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Mexican paganism has promoted ignorance and a revisionist history that claims cannibalism, human sacrifice or slavery never existed in the pre-Columbian nations like the Mayans or Aztec
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