﻿240 
  SOUTH 
  AMERICAN 
  INDIANS 
  [B. 
  A. 
  E. 
  Bull. 
  143 
  

  

  p. 
  389) 
  . 
  They 
  generally 
  supported 
  only 
  one 
  fisherman, 
  and 
  were 
  light 
  

   enough 
  to 
  be 
  carried 
  by 
  one 
  man. 
  They 
  had 
  to 
  be 
  taken 
  apart 
  and 
  

   dried 
  out 
  every 
  night, 
  or 
  they 
  became 
  waterlogged 
  and 
  useless. 
  The 
  

   Indians 
  of 
  the 
  Coast 
  ventured 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  six 
  leagues 
  (about 
  18 
  miles) 
  

   out 
  to 
  sea 
  in 
  these 
  craft, 
  going 
  usually 
  in 
  groups. 
  They 
  were 
  prop- 
  

   pelled 
  by 
  a 
  split 
  cane 
  used 
  as 
  a 
  double-bladed 
  paddle 
  (Cobo, 
  1890-95, 
  

   bk. 
  14, 
  ch. 
  14). 
  

  

  At 
  Arica 
  and 
  Tarapaca, 
  the 
  Indians 
  made 
  balsas 
  of 
  two 
  inflated 
  seal 
  

   skins 
  lashed 
  together. 
  These 
  craft 
  also 
  supported 
  only 
  one 
  Indian 
  

   each, 
  and 
  were 
  very 
  light 
  but 
  demanded 
  more 
  care 
  than 
  the 
  reed 
  balsas 
  

   of 
  the 
  North 
  and 
  Central 
  Coast, 
  as 
  the 
  air 
  leaked 
  out 
  in 
  use. 
  The 
  fish- 
  

   ermen 
  carried 
  tubes 
  with 
  which 
  they 
  could 
  blow 
  into 
  the 
  skins 
  and 
  

   reinflate 
  them 
  when 
  necessary 
  (Cobo, 
  1899-95, 
  bk. 
  14, 
  ch. 
  14). 
  

  

  At 
  the 
  ford 
  of 
  the 
  Santa 
  River 
  on 
  the 
  North 
  Coast, 
  floats 
  were 
  made 
  

   of 
  large 
  number 
  of 
  gourds 
  put 
  into 
  a 
  net, 
  on 
  top 
  of 
  which 
  rode 
  the 
  pas- 
  

   sengers 
  or 
  cargo. 
  The 
  floats 
  were 
  propelled 
  by 
  swimmers. 
  Cobo 
  saw 
  

   rough 
  cane 
  rafts 
  used 
  on 
  the 
  Apurimac 
  River 
  as 
  emergency 
  ferries 
  

   when 
  the 
  bridge 
  broke 
  in 
  1616 
  (1890-95, 
  bk. 
  14, 
  ch. 
  14. 
  See 
  also 
  

   RGI, 
  1881-97, 
  1: 
  86). 
  

  

  The 
  real 
  limitation 
  to 
  Peruvian 
  navigation 
  was 
  not 
  lack 
  of 
  ingenuity 
  

   but 
  lack 
  of 
  convenient 
  supplies 
  of 
  suitable 
  lumber. 
  From 
  Payta 
  in 
  

   northern 
  Perti 
  to 
  Manta 
  in 
  Ecuador, 
  the 
  Indians 
  built 
  large 
  seagoing 
  

   balsa-wood 
  rafts, 
  which 
  were 
  among 
  the 
  most 
  seaworthy 
  craft 
  in 
  all 
  

   South 
  America. 
  They 
  laid 
  out 
  seven 
  to 
  nine 
  balsa-wood 
  logs 
  of 
  

   graded 
  lengths, 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  make 
  a 
  pointed 
  prow 
  and 
  square 
  stern, 
  and 
  

   lashed 
  them 
  together 
  with 
  lianas 
  and 
  cords. 
  A 
  platform 
  was 
  built 
  

   on 
  top 
  to 
  keep 
  the 
  cargo 
  dry, 
  and 
  a 
  mast 
  was 
  stepped 
  in 
  the 
  middle 
  

   log. 
  These 
  rafts 
  had 
  sails 
  and 
  oars, 
  and 
  were 
  large 
  enough 
  to 
  carry 
  

   50 
  men 
  (Cobo, 
  1890-95, 
  bk. 
  14, 
  ch. 
  14; 
  Estete, 
  1924, 
  p. 
  18 
  and 
  note 
  

   25, 
  p. 
  61). 
  Topa 
  Inca 
  was 
  supposed 
  to 
  have 
  made 
  his 
  voyage 
  of 
  

   exploration 
  in 
  the 
  Pacific 
  in 
  this 
  type 
  of 
  boat 
  (Sarmiento, 
  1906, 
  ch. 
  

   46). 
  Huayna 
  Capac 
  had 
  balsa-wood 
  logs 
  brought 
  to 
  the 
  two 
  largest 
  

   Highland 
  lakes 
  to 
  build 
  large 
  rafts 
  there. 
  The 
  Spaniards 
  found 
  them 
  

   in 
  Lake 
  Junin 
  (Xerez, 
  1917, 
  p. 
  93), 
  and 
  in 
  Lake 
  Titicaca 
  (Valverde, 
  

   1879). 
  

  

  MANUFACTURES 
  

  

  Weaving. 
  — 
  Highland 
  cloth 
  was 
  made 
  chiefly 
  of 
  wool, 
  which 
  was 
  

   warmer 
  and 
  held 
  its 
  colors 
  better 
  than 
  cotton. 
  Cotton, 
  however, 
  

   was 
  also 
  available, 
  being 
  traded 
  from 
  the 
  lower 
  eastern 
  valleys 
  and 
  

   the 
  Coast. 
  Alpaca 
  wool 
  was 
  preferred 
  for 
  clothing, 
  but 
  llama 
  wool 
  

   was 
  used 
  also, 
  especially 
  for 
  very 
  coarse 
  cloth. 
  The 
  finest 
  material 
  

   was 
  vicuna 
  wool, 
  to 
  which 
  the 
  Indians 
  occasionally 
  added 
  viscacha 
  

   and 
  bat 
  wool. 
  Vicuna 
  wool 
  is 
  soft, 
  silky, 
  and 
  admirably 
  suited 
  to 
  

   luxury 
  weaving. 
  The 
  Spaniards 
  compared 
  it 
  favorably 
  with 
  silk 
  

  

  