In December, Noa's two businesses—importing used cars from Japan and making clothes for the U.S. market—suffered severe blows and he blames the socialist president's trade policies, which he calls foolish.
"Evo has screwed small artisans. We've lost faith in him," Noa, 32, said inside his makeshift factory that produces colorful sweaters, scarves and hats made from alpaca wool. "I'm going to vote 'no' on the constitution. People have lost enthusiasm."
Morales' is expected to win voters' support for the new constitution but the frustration felt by Noa and others shows the country's first indigenous president, who took power three years ago, may be losing ground.
He won 67 percent support in a recall vote last August yet polls say only 55 percent back his constitution, which would give greater voice to the indigenous majority and tighten the state's grip on the economy.
The shift can be seen in El Alto, a poor city of 800,000 people that historically has supported Morales and sits on bluffs above the administrative capital, La Paz, in the Andes.
Like thousands of people who migrated from the countryside to El Alto, Noa had carved out a niche in recent years exporting labor-intensive handicrafts to the United States.
But in December, Washington canceled duty-free trade preferences that Bolivia had enjoyed since 1991, saying Morales was dragging his feet in the war against the cocaine trade.
The move followed months of diplomatic spats and years of Bolivia spurning U.S. requests to work on a full-fledged trade agreement that would benefit both sides.
Orders for Noa's sweaters, which now face a 20 percent import tax in the United States, have plunged. His biggest buyer has moved work across the border to Peru to take advantage of its free-trade pact with the United States.
Noa has laid off 20 of 25 workers and idled most of his 14 weaving machines. This year he expects to ship only a fraction of the 28,000 items he sent last year to the United States.
Many Bolivians feel Morales mishandled talks with the United States and is too close to Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who leads a bloc of leftist, anti-American leaders in Latin America.
"It's a shame what this government has done. I'm voting no," said Victor Lopez, 43, an El Alto resident whose first language is Aymara and who voted for Morales in 2005.
Standing by Morales
Official estimates say 24,800 direct and indirect jobs were generated by U.S. trade preferences, providing sustenance to about 100,000 people when family members are included.
Last year, Bolivia sold around $400 million in goods to the United States, with $63 million tied to the preferences, the La Paz export chamber said.
Still, despite the job losses, many residents of El Alto say they will stand by Morales because he is one of them, a humble strive.
"His policies have affected us, but I'm going to vote 'yes' because it represents change," said Antonio Vargas, who sells fish in El Alto. "A 'no' vote is for the rich."
Noa's other business, importing cars, is also in trouble.
Last month, Morales banned the import of cars that are more than five years old, saying they pollute and are unsafe. The ban has put hundreds of jobs at risk and sparked protests.
Many mechanics in El Alto make a living switching steering wheels from the right-side to the left, and fixing dents. Other entrepreneurs dabbled in trading cars, going to a port in Chile once a month to buy a couple cars for a few thousand dollars each and quickly reselling them in Bolivia at a $500 profit.
"My idea was that if my clothing business declined then I could at least sell cars. But now that's dead too," Noa said.
