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Caballitos de totora are reed watercraft used by fishermen inPeru for the past 3000 years, archaeologically evidenced from pottery shards. Named for the way they are ridden, straddled ('little reed horses' in English), fishermen use them to transport their nets and collect fish in their inner cavity. The name is not the original name, as horses were not introduced to South America until after theSpanish conquest of the Inca Empire. The ancient Mochica name of the watercraft istūp. They are made from the same reed, thetotora (Schoenoplectus californicus subsp.tatora), used by theUru people onLake Titicaca, and considered part of the Peruvian's National Cultural Heritage since 2016.[1]
Fishermen in the port town ofHuanchaco famously, but in many other locations practically, still use these vessels to this day, riding the waves back into shore, and suggesting some of the first forms of wave riding. There is currently a minor debate in the surfing world as to whether or not this constitutes the first form ofsurfing.
Fishers have made minimal changes in the basic designs of the reed boats over the centuries. On the beach of Pimentel, near the city of Chiclayo, crafters had added Styrofoam to give symmetrical forms and to create a water-impermeable floatation compartment.[2]
TheSwamps of Huanchaco are anecological reserve about 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) northwest of the historic center ofTrujillo, Peru. From this ecological reserve, people extracted the raw material for the manufacture of the ancientcaballitos de totora used since the time of theMoche culture for fishing.Huanchaco fishermen still use materials from these swamps to make their fishing boats.[3][4]