Final answer:
Cuba was the first Latin American territory to be colonized, claimed by Spain in 1492. Portuguese explorer Pedro Cabral established Brazil as a Portuguese colony in 1500. The Treaty of Tordesillas divided most of South America between Spanish and Portuguese empires.
Step-by-step explanation:
The first Latin American territory to be colonized was D) Cuba. Cuba was claimed for Spain by Christopher Columbus in 1492 on his first voyage to the New World. Subsequent colonization efforts quickly followed. However, the era of Atlantic exploration was initiated by Portugal, which also established the first European colony in the Americas, Brazil, through the arrival of Pedro Cabral in 1500. The Treaty of Tordesillas in 1494, which divided the New World between Spain and Portugal, left most of South America for Spain but allowed Portugal to claim Brazil.
In the context of European colonialism, while Spain and Portugal were the main Iberian powers responsible for colonizing South America, the Treaty of Tordesillas significantly shaped the colonial territories in the region. Spain colonized a large portion of South America, while Portugal, not finding gold or silver in Brazil, developed its economy around the exportation of brazilwood, plantation agriculture, and cattle ranching, ultimately influencing Brazil's culture with African slaves.