Explains treatments used in Mexico to preserve a canoe found in an excavation. Because the canoe was made of wood it was very difficult to differentiate it from the soil. The canoe increased its content of water when it adapted to the conditions of the humid environment it had been buried in. Isopropyl alcohol--a volatile material--was used to dry the wood. Each section of the canoe was covered with carbo wax. It was moved using a steel frame. This canoe is on display at the National Museum of Anthropology, Mexico City.