Photos

This picture shows some boats made of totora near the beach of Chiclayo, in Peru. The totora is a plant with the scientific name Scirpus californicus. Its actual name comes from the quechua word "tutura". It's a family of sedges closely related to Scirpus. It is found in Peru, notably on Lake Titicaca.

The Uros, an indigenous people predating the Incas, live on Lake Titicaca upon floating islands fashioned from this plant. The Uros also use the Totora plant to make boats of the bundled dried plant reeds.

The people of Chiclayo also use this plant to make their fishing boats. They manage the waves like a surf table, and they fish with them near the coast.