Natividad Verde... A Master boat builder…

Natividad Verde or “Tatito Native” as we commonly know him, was born on December 25, 1930, married Elena Viamil and had a wonderful family with 13 amazing children. Native was a farmer, fisherman and also a boat builder. He learned the art of boat building from his older brother; Evaristo, and also from Peter Young. Native made approximately 20 boats during his lifetime. “Bongi” was his first boat and “Doris”, a 22 ft boat; which is a champion of boat races in its
category, was his last creation. Other boats he created included: Semira, Solimar, Picuda, and Lenny to name a few. Natividad is considered a master boat builder of his time, his boats became legends and some were sent abroad like “Picuda” which is still at Cozumel. Today, his two sons; Cristobal and Marcos Verde, have ventured in keeping the tradition alive by continuously building boats for their fellow Belizeans.
The Pictures of Natividad Verde, Evaristo Verde and Peter Young can be seen on display in Belize City at the Image Factory.

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