The US is widely accused of imperialism towards Latin America (and yes we have in many unfortunate cases, although never as much as the cynics would have you believe), so what if the US went all the way and conquered everything from Mexico to Chile (excluding all the British, French, and Dutch possessions)?
When I say colonization, I don't mean statehood, or even something akin to Puerto Rico where people are all considered US citizens. I mean something more akin to Europe's control of Africa. How would this impact Latin American culture? And how much would the US be boosted in world power status?