Figure 4.11: The mesh of language and empire in South America. Latin America was colonized by Spanish speakers and Portuguese speakers as well as by speakers of French, Dutch, and English in northern areas. The Treaty of Tordesillas, signed by Spain and Portugal in 1494, established the political basis for the present linguistic pattern in South America. Portugal was awarded the eastern part of the continent, and Spain, the rest.
(Source: Courtesy of Terry G. Jordan-Bychkov.)