Mariquita, Colombia: a wooden bridge. Coloured lithograph by C. Empson, 1836.

"The bridge of Mariquita, although built of apparently very perishable materials, has stood for upwards of twenty years : the reeds, bamboos, cedar and palm wood, of which it is constructed, are remarkably durable. The elasticity and lightness of these materials, and their great length, afford much facility in forming these primitive arches. These bridges are for pedestrians only; men occasionally are imprudent enough to force their mules over them, rather than swim the animals across, guiding and retaining them by a rope, held in the hand. " (Empson. loc. cit.)