<P> The Spanish colonies won their independence in the first quarter of the 19th century , in the Spanish American wars of independence . Simón Bolívar ( Greater Colombia , Peru , Bolivia ) , José de San Martín ( United Provinces of the River Plate , Chile , and Peru ) , and Bernardo O'Higgins ( Chile ) led their independence struggle . Although Bolivar attempted to keep the Spanish - speaking parts of the continent politically unified , they rapidly became independent of one another . </P>
south america became a collection of independent states between
the first quarter of the 19th century