Puerto Montt, Los Lagos Region, Chile – On January 11, Eudocia Barría Barríentos, aged 112 years and 335 days, became the third-oldest living person in Latin America whose age is fully validated, concurrently holding the title of the oldest living person in Chile. According to the LongeviQuest global list, Mrs. Barría Barrientos is currently the 27th-oldest living person in the world.
On January 30, the LongeviQuest team had the privilege of visiting Mrs. Barría Barrientos, acknowledging her status as Chile’s oldest living person and celebrating her life, which has been filled with both adversities and joyous moments. Present at the occasion were Mr. Ben Meyers, our director and CEO, who greeted and congratulated Eudocia, and Mr. Fabrizio Villatoro, the President of LongeviQuest América, who conducted the interview. The discussion covered various topics, including the secret to her longevity, advice for young people, and significant events in her life that have left a positive or negative impact. The visit concluded with the participation of Mr. Santiago García, who continued the interview and presented Ms. Barría Barrientos with the LongeviQuest recognition certificate along with flowers as a token of gratitude for the privilege of meeting her.
Eudocia Barría Barrientos was born on the island of Mechuque, part of the Chiloé Archipelago in the Los Lagos Region, Chile, on February 10, 1911. She was the second of three children to parents Zacarías Barría and Juana Barrientos. Her father worked as a bricklayer, while her older brother, Abel, pursued a career as a merchant mariner. Tragically, her younger sister, Francisca, passed away at the age of 2 following a shipwreck. Shortly after Eudocia’s birth, the family moved to Puerto Montt. She studied sewing and embroidery in the Singer company workshops, dedicating herself to embroidery from a very young age. In 1930, she acquired a sewing machine that she continues to use to this day. Throughout her career, she primarily served local families of German descent.
After World War II, she received requests to produce clothing for export to Germany. She enjoyed accompanying her brother on trips throughout Chile. Among her hobbies were gardening, baking cakes, and making cookies for her granddaughters. Teaching the women in her family to sew using her sewing machine and infusing fragrances into pillows were also activities she enjoyed. She liked to receive bouquets of flowers to decorate her home. Despite never marrying, she became a mother to Lourdes in 1944 and took care of her two granddaughters from the time of their birth.
At 110, she still possessed the ability to sew. Now, at 112, she relies on a cane for support and occasionally experiences disorientation upon waking. Despite these challenges, she maintains her independence, eats without assistance, and stays informed about current events by reading the newspaper. Despite coping with hearing difficulties for an extended period, she has made a consistent effort to read lips.
As of January 2024, in addition to her daughter, she has two granddaughters and two great-granddaughters.
Barría Barrientos currently resides with her daughter, Lourdes, and son-in-law in Puerto Montt. In recent years, she has received numerous visits and affection from both local residents and her family. Lourdes, her daughter, shared with LongeviQuest that Eudocia has faced various illnesses and health complications in recent years. However, despite these challenges, she has managed to overcome them and is currently in good health, with only minor sight and hearing complications.
LongeviQuest would like to express our gratitude to Mrs. Barría Barrientos and her family for the privilege of meeting her. We wish her good health and much happiness, and we look forward to meeting her again.
