Little by little, South America is dividing itself into two very different trade blocks. Mercosur, based on Brazil and Argentina and recently joined by Venezuela, is relatively protectionist and suspicious of bilateral trade deals with the United States. Most countries on the Pacific seaboard are committed to free trade with both el norte and Asia. The latest piece in this jigsaw came on August 22nd, when Chile's foreign minister, Alejandro Foxley, visited Peru's capital, Lima, to discuss his country's plan to rejoin the Andean Community, which it left in 1976. The Economist discusses.