Map of Brazil, by Luiz Teixeira, ca. 1586

Note the Portuguese captaincies, or land grants to loyal nobles, along the Brazilian coast. Of the first 15 charters, five were not colonized, 8 were of limited success due to Indian attacks, and only two of these – São Vicente and Pernambuco – were successful right away.

Map reproduced by David Woodward (editor), The History of Cartography, Volume 3: Cartography in the European Renaissance, 2007.