It wasn't until Spain and Portugal began fighting over this land did the culture become more Spanish-inspired as cities quickly arose and many Spanish immigrants arrived. Communication, transportation, and technology quickly improved as the region created a more unified culture, although the lifestyle of the people varied from the rural ranches to the growing urban centers.
The growing disparities between the people in Uruguay led to numerous battles, both political as well as physical. However, once tensions ended, immigration again began with huge immigration from Europe, particularly Spain and Italy. These people brought with them their cultures and foods and even today these two groups have the strongest impact on the culture. Italian foods and their language are common throughout the country, but particularly in the cities, while the later immigrating Spanish further solidified the Spanish language and other cultural aspects.
Despite the growing uniformity to the culture in Uruguay and the expanding economy, the people are still somewhat divided by lifestyle between the rural and urban settings. However, these differences in lifestyle rarely result in outright arguments or battles as they have in the past; today the country shares many cultural commonalities and in many ways is much more uniform than it has been in the past.