Juan Limachi was just seven years old when he started learning to build reed boats. He lives on Lake Titicaca, where his ancestors built boats for thousands of years. Now Mr. Limachi is 71. But he is still busy. He is working on the boat for Mr. Buck.

No one in the world can build reed boats like people who live on Lake Titicaca. No one else has had as much practice! Lake Titicaca divides the countries of Bolivia and Peru. The lake is so big that looking at it feels more like looking at an ocean. Reeds grow around its edges. People living on the lake don’t just use the reeds to build boats. They build whole islands out of them. On the Peruvian side of the lake, many people still live on these islands. In ancient times, the islands kept the people safe. If enemies got too close, the island-dwellers could move their floating homes away from danger.

Life looks much different at Lake Titicaca now than it did when people used floating islands for defense. Now people drive cars along the edge of the huge lake. Buses stop and let tourists out. But in some ways, life for Mr. Limachi is not so different from the lives his ancestors lived. Like them, he lives on Suriqui Island. People living there spend their time fishing, working with their hands, and building boats. Now most people on the island use fiberglass and metal boats to get around. But Mr. Limachi still gets plenty of business building boats for museums—and adventurers.