Uruguay was called the Switzerland of South America, so European were its ways. Buenos Aires is compared to Paris. Even in language, many South Americans recoil at Mexico’s formality, i.e., it’s consistent use of “usted” (derivation of which comes from “vuestra merced,” - “your grace,” a throwback to the quasi feudal pre-revolutionary Mexico) as opposed to the more informal “tu.” Chileans I knew would tell me, who learned Spanish in Mexico, “will you stop calling me “usted!” Bolivia and Peru are somewhat different culturally than Argentina and Chile, the latter resembling Europe, the former deeply influenced by indigenous culture. Huge numbers of Italian and Spanish descendants live in Argentina, as opposed to other Latin American countries. Even in Central America, Costa Rica is significantly different culturally than its neighbors. I read that it was due in part to the Spanish wiping out more indigenous people there than they succeeded in doing in other parts of the region, creating a less varied, more homogenous culture in their murderous wake.