Carmelo Flores Laura facts for kids

Carmelo Flores Laura was a man from Bolivia who lived to be very old. He was born on July 16, 1906, and passed away on June 9, 2014, at the age of 107. For a while, some people thought he was born in 1890, which would have made him 123 years old in 2013. If that were true, he would have been the oldest person ever known! However, other documents showed his real birth year was 1906. When asked about his age, Carmelo himself simply said he was "about 100 years old or more," which was correct.

Carmelo Flores Laura's Life

Carmelo Flores Laura lived his whole life in Bolivia. He was born in a rural area near Lake Titicaca.

Working and Living in Bolivia

For many years, Carmelo worked for a ranch owner in a place called Frasquia. This was a rural area not far from Lake Titicaca. In 1952, the government took the land and gave it to farmers like Carmelo. He continued to live there for the rest of his life. He never traveled far from his home, only going as far as La Paz, which is about 80 kilometers (50 miles) away.

Carmelo's Family

Carmelo Flores Laura had three children. In 2013, one of his children, Cecilio, was still alive at 67 years old. Carmelo also had a very large family with 40 grandchildren and 19 great-grandchildren. His wife passed away in the early 2000s.

Honoring a Long Life

The government of Bolivia planned to honor Carmelo Flores Laura. They wanted to call him "a living heritage" of the Bolivian people. This was to celebrate his long life and connection to the country's history.

The Mystery of His Age

For some time, there was a lot of talk about Carmelo Flores Laura's age. Some documents, like a police ID card and a civil registry entry, showed his birth date as July 16, 1890. This would have made him 123 years old.

Finding the True Age

The longest fully proven lifespan in history belongs to Jeanne Calment from France. She lived to be 122 years and 164 days old. When experts looked into Carmelo's age, they found more information. The Gerontology Research Group, which studies aging, found a baptismal certificate. This certificate showed that Carmelo Flores was actually born in 1906, making him 107 years old when he passed away.

Carmelo's Passing

Carmelo Flores Laura died in an Andean village in Bolivia. He was 107 years old.