Here's a breakdown:
* Latin: The official language of the Roman Empire.
* Vulgar Latin: The everyday spoken version of Latin, which varied from region to region.
* Romance Languages: After the fall of the Roman Empire, Vulgar Latin continued to evolve in different areas, giving rise to various Romance languages, including Spanish, Portuguese, French, Italian, Romanian, and many others.
So, while Spanish is ultimately derived from Latin, it's more accurate to say it descended from Vulgar Latin, the colloquial form that was spoken by the people of the Roman Empire.