Caballito translates as “little horse”. These tiny craft have been used by fishermen along this
coast since before the reign of the Inca. Constructed of reeds which grow on the north end of the
bay, they will float for hours, but eventually become waterlogged requiring the fisherman to
return to shore in order to let them dry out. These days, plastic soft drink bottles and
styrofoam – if one is fortunate enough to find some – are stuffed into the hulls to provide extra
buoyancy. The open area toward the rear is not a cockpit, as one might expect, but instead a
storage area for nets and fish. A caballito is ridden by kneeling on the upper deck near the
middle, then sitting back on one’s calves. Propulsion comes from a six-to-seven foot long piece
of split bamboo, used kayak-style.

March 2004