MOCHE: A PERUVIAN COASTAL COMNfUNITi'— GII.I.IK 



33 



weather. If, in his judgment, a storm is brewing and 

 he advises against sallying forth, no boats leave port. 

 The cliief of the port assigns anchorages and tie posts 

 to the various craft and settles disputes, which, how- 

 ever, are said to be very rare. He also acts as a 

 spokesman for the fishermen, who are not yet organ- 

 ized a? an official "syndicate" (legal union or workers' 

 group) under the provisions of the Peruvian labor 

 laws. 



Sails are made in Huanchaco and in Salaverry 

 of regular sailcloth, which has. been scarce during 

 the war. Specialists do the best work, although a 

 number of boat owners make their own sails. A good 

 sail is said to cost about 200 soles ($30.60) or more. 

 Sail ropes must be of manila fiber. 



On the other hand, everyone, even women, knows 

 how to make nets. They are of the same general 

 shape as a tennis net, although both longer and 

 wider, about 4^2 feet wide by about 100 feet long. 

 About every 3 feet along the upper edge is fastened 

 a slab of cork, so that an ordinary net has from 30 

 to 35 of these floats to support it in the water. Along 

 the lower edge are affixed an equal number of lead 

 weights. At each end of the upper edge is a 

 lateral projection or extension called a cabecera 

 (head) or an orcja (ear). To each of these ears is 

 attached a chimo, a float made from a large spherical 

 gourd about 12 to 15 inches in diameter held by a 

 binding of light rope. One is larger than the other 

 and serves as a marker buoy in case the net is de- 

 tached from the boat. Also extending from each 

 ear of the net is a hand rope, made of manila fiber, 

 about one-half inch in diameter and varying in length 

 from a few feet up to more than 100 feet. Although 

 occasionally these nets are trawled between two 

 boats, the usual pattern is to cast them out from a 

 single boat, with both ends of the net secured to 

 the boat by the hand ropes. Motion of the boat and 

 the current carry the fish against the net. The inter- 

 stices of the net are about ly'^ to 2 inches on a side. 

 They are holding nets, which catch the fish behind 

 the gills. 



Xets are made from three-ply cotton twine pur- 

 * chased in the stores at a price now varying between 

 10 and 12 soles ($1.53 to $1.84) per pound. At this 

 rate a net costs up to 150 soles ($22.95) for materials 

 alone. The fishermen complain loudly of being ex- 

 ploited by speculators. Nets are made in the same 

 manner as at Rloche, using the bare foot and toes 

 to hold the line, and a netting needle of cane with 

 cut-out and small tongue. Two types of knots are 



used, el dcrcchn. a slip knot, and el cnicado, a tight 

 knot. 



Ropes for nets are made of caho fiber, which is 

 made in factories and bought by the fisherman in 

 stores, but which they themselves twine into ropes 

 in Huanchaco. Xet ropes are called lavas. 



When a new net has been completed and before 

 it is used for the first time, it is subjected to cere- 

 monial treatment. The owner finds a bnijo citraii- 

 dero (curing witch), who "cures" the net. Although 

 I have not seen this treatment, it is said to involve 

 filling the chunos with juice of herbs, pouring it out, 

 and officially sealing them, together with sprinkling 

 of the net itself with herbs and powders used in 

 ordinary hrujer'm (witchcraft). Also, each net be- 

 fore it is wetted (antes de mojarla) undergoes a 

 padrinazgo ceremony. The owner chooses a padrino 

 (godfather) and madrina (godmother) for the net. 

 Their relationship to the owner is expressed as 

 compancros de la red (companions or partners of the 

 net). They have only the obligation of arranging 

 (and paying for) the fiesta on this occasion. The 

 principal ceremonial activity of the fiesta consists of 

 laying out the net in the form of a cross and sprinkling 

 it with holy water. 



Occasionally a net falls into a period in which it 

 seems to be unable to catch anything. The owner 

 will soon come to the conclusion that someone !ia 

 lieclio dafio a la red (has done harm to the net), 

 in other words, some enemy has hired a malero (evil 

 witch) to cast a spell upon it. In this case, the 

 owner again seeks out a brujo ewaudero to "cure" 

 tlie net once more. 



The daily fishing cycle begins about noon, when, 

 if the weather is favorable, tlie fleet leaves port for 

 the high seas (pi. 8, middle {right)). Each boat is 

 loaded by its crew with their personal belongings, 

 the nets (which have now been dried, repaired, and 

 folded into bundles on the beach), food, and ballast 

 (gunny sacks full of sand, which may be dumped 

 overboard as the catch loads down the boat). Oars 

 may be used to move the boat out of the lee of the 

 dock. Since there is always a heavy swell, at least, 

 nmning in from the Pacific, the boats are tossed 

 excitingly as they climb the swells and disappear into 

 the troughs until they are well out at sea. The daily 

 sailing of the fleet is a decidedly picturesque spectacle, 

 with the women, children, and old men lining the 

 dock and the beach and waving farewell to the 

 sailors. Several men and boats are lost each vear, 



