Here's a breakdown:
* Latin was the language of the Roman Empire, spread throughout its vast territory.
* After the fall of the Roman Empire, Latin evolved into different regional varieties, influenced by local languages and dialects.
* These regional varieties eventually developed into the Romance languages we know today, such as Spanish, Portuguese, French, Italian, Romanian, Catalan, etc.
So, while each Romance language has its unique characteristics, they all share a common ancestor in Latin.