Phase I (March - April 1998)
Did the ancient people of South America use the continent's waterways to establish trading links?

In challenging weather and even more challenging river conditions, the Kota Mama expedition began in March 1998 to prove that, yes, the ancient people of South America did use the waterways for trading links. A 30 member expedition formed by the Scientific Exploration Society (SES), consisting of archaeologists and international explorers, made its way down the Desaguadero River between Lake Titicaca and Lake Poopo in the Bolivian Altiplano. This 250 mile long journey was undertaken in three traditional Aymara reed boats, which would have been the mode of transport for the ancient people of this area.

The explorers successfully sailed, poled, and hauled the reed boats through lagoons, swamps, and canyons on their southward journey between the two lakes, thereby proving that the river could have been used as a channel for creating trading links. During this first phase the expedition also discovered four important sites of ancient cities, highlighting the need for further archaeological work in the Altiplano.