As a newbie, I am trying to book a reward with BA miles to go from Houston to South America. Does the following make sense:

1. Will BA let me book Miami to Lima to Santiago to Rio de Janeiro back to Miami on LAN for 80k in business class or do I need to change the order?

2. Since I am in Houston, I will book a roundtrip ticket on AA to Houston to Miami for arrival and departure. Is this the best way for me to get to a LAN hub instead of booking a one way ticket from Houston to Lima?

3. Just curious, if I decide to use LAN to go from Miami to Santiago to New Zealand to Australia, how many miles is that award for BA miles? Is that even allowed or make sense? If so, what is best way to get back to Houston?

If an expert could please help me with my first reward I would be grateful so I can try to plan this for Feb 2012.

Thanks in advance