The reed watercraft lining Huanchaco's beaches are known as "caballitos de tortora", or "little reed horses". They have been Huanchaco's identity and way of life for thousands of years.
Huanchaco's economy is based mostly around tourism, surviving on the throngs of visitors that visit its beaches. In recent decades, approximately 30 meters of beach have been covered with water from rising sea levels.
Huanchaco's consistent, frequent breaks were just one of many reasons it was designated as Latin America's first World Surfing Reserve in 2013. The longest left-hand break in the world is just a few kilometers north.
