Erik and Maximo Catari constructing a
reed ("balsa") boat at the
University Museum (photograph by
J. Westerman).
During the Fall of 1995, Aymara boatbuilders Erik and Maximo Catari came to the University Museum to demonstrate the construction of a "balsa" reed boat (a 2/3 scale model). The father-son team spent 3 days constructing the reed boat which was tested in the Museum reflecting pool after their public lecture on traditional boatbuilding. They build these boats for sale in their home town of Huatajata, located on the shores of Lake Titicaca, Bolivia.
The finished boat can be viewed from the Museum Mosaic Gallery off the
Sharp Entrance.
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