María Capovilla facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
María Capovilla
|
|
|---|---|
María Esther de Capovilla at age 115 in 2005
|
|
| Born | Maria Esther Heredia Lecaro 14 September 1889 |
| Died | 27 August 2006 (aged 116 years, 347 days) Guayaquil, Ecuador
|
| Known for | World's oldest living person from 29 May 2004 to 27 August 2006 |
| Spouse(s) |
Antonio Capovilla
(m. 1917; died 1949) |
| Children | 5 |
María Esther Heredia Lecaro de Capovilla, known internationally as María Capovilla, was an amazing woman from Ecuador. She was born on September 14, 1889, and lived until August 27, 2006. When she passed away at 116 years and 347 days old, she was officially recognized by Guinness World Records as the oldest living person in the world.
Contents
Life Story of María Capovilla
María Esther Heredia Lecaro was born in Guayaquil, Ecuador. Her father was a colonel. She grew up in a wealthy family, enjoying social events and taking art classes. She never smoked and only drank a little alcohol.
Family Life and Marriage
In 1917, María married Antonio Capovilla. He was an Austrian military officer and sailor. Antonio was born in Pola, which was part of Austria-Hungary (now Pula, Croatia). He moved to Chile in 1894 and then to Ecuador in 1910. Antonio's first wife had passed away before he married María.
María and Antonio had five children together. Sadly, Antonio passed away in 1949. At the time of María's death, three of their children were still alive: Hilda (81 years old), Irma (79 years old), and their son Anibal (77 years old). María also had many grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and even great-great-grandchildren.
María's Health and Later Years
When María was 100 years old, she became very sick and almost died. However, after that, she was quite healthy for a long time. In December 2005, when she was 116, María was still doing well for her age. She enjoyed watching TV, reading the newspaper, and could walk with some help.
In the two years before she passed away, María stayed at home. She lived with her oldest daughter, Hilda, and her son-in-law.
By March 2006, María's health started to decline. She could no longer read the newspaper and spoke very little. She also needed help from two people to walk. Even so, she could still sit in her chair and fan herself. María was doing okay until she got pneumonia in August 2006. She passed away just 18 days before her 117th birthday.
María's Age Records
María Capovilla was a supercentenarian, which means she lived to be 110 years old or more. Her age records were sent to Guinness World Records on August 27, 2005.
Becoming the World's Oldest Person
On December 9, 2005, Guinness World Records officially named María Capovilla the World's Oldest Person. Before her, Hendrikje van Andel-Schipper from the Netherlands and Elizabeth Bolden from the United States were thought to be the oldest. María's recognition changed that. Guinness added her to their website on April 12, 2006.
Her Place in History
When María passed away at 116 years and 347 days old, she was the fourth-oldest person ever verified to have lived. She was also the oldest verified person from South America for a long time. An interesting fact is that María Capovilla was the very last person alive who was born in the 1880s.
After María's death on August 27, 2006, Elizabeth Bolden became the world's oldest person again. This made Elizabeth only the second person to be considered the world's oldest twice. The first was Jeanne Calment, who holds the record for the longest lifespan ever verified.
See also
- List of the verified oldest people
- List of the oldest people by country
In Spanish: María Heredia Lecaro para niños
