When Brazil's 'golden age' began, the Portuguese were securely established on the coast and immediate hinterland. European rivals - Spanish, French, Dutch - had been repelled, and expansion into the vast interior had begun. By the end of the 'golden age', bandleirantes, missionaries, miners, planters and ranchers had penetrated deep into the continent. In 1750, by the Treaty of Madrid, Spain recognized Brazil's new frontiers. The colony had come to...