How the Treaty of Tordesillas Shaped South American Settlement

The 1494 Treaty of Tordesillas drew a meridian 370 leagues west of Cape Verde. East → Portugal; West → Spain.

Portuguese Zone (East) → Brazil

• Coastal focus: Salvador (1549), Rio de Janeiro (1565), São Paulo (1554).
• Inland expansion via bandeirantes (slave-raiding/ prospecting expeditions).
• Sugar plantations (Bahia, Pernambuco) → later gold (Minas Gerais) and coffee (São Paulo).

Spanish Zone (West) → Hispanic South America

• Pacific coast hubs: Lima (1535), Santiago (1541), Buenos Aires (1536/1580).
• Andean mining: Potosí (silver), Zacatecas — financed empire.
• Viceregal administration: New Granada, Peru, Río de la Plata.

Broader Effects

• Prevented direct Spain-Portugal war in New World.
• Invited other powers (France, England, Netherlands) to challenge Iberian duopoly in "unclaimed" zones (Guianas, Caribbean).
• Boundary held until 1750 Treaty of Madrid (adjusted for Amazon exploration).

The line fundamentally oriented Brazil toward the Atlantic and Hispanic America toward the Pacific/Andes.