FISHERMEN RIDING A CABALLITO DE TOTORA SURF BACK TO THE BEACH IN HUANCHACO, 2001-01-28 (photo)

A fisherman kneels on top of a "reed horse", an ancient cigar shaped boat still used in northern Peru, and steers it through the waves with two children riding in its hollow interior, January 28, 2001. The hollow kayaks, with their characteristic pointed prows rising out of the water, are believed to have been the precursors of surfboards used by the ancient inhabitants of northern Peru to ply the choppy Pacific. They are similar to the boats depicted on ceramics from Peru's Moche civilization 1,500 years ago. The inhabitants of Huanchaco are among the few remaining people on the coast who still know how to build and pilot these precarious-looking craft. MB