Lisbon and TAP are great to connect you to 8 cities in Brazil. The only other South American city to appear on the Lisbon airport timetable online is a 2x week TAP to Caracas, even then 1 goes via Funchal. Obvious links from previous colonial day when Brazil was part of the Portuguese empire, while virtually the rest of South America (vice Guyana, French Guiana and Surinam) came under the Spanish colonies. Hence Madrid will be better for the rest of the continent.