Uncovering the Truth Behind Latin America’s Longevity Claims

Since 2019, the number of documented and validated supercentenarians in Latin America has increased significantly. This growth can be attributed to several factors, including the increasing availability of historical documents—such as church records and civil registration archives—being digitized and accessible online. Additionally, more researchers have begun collaborating to investigate this region, which often presents unique challenges in age validation.

In January 2020, a group of researchers, including myself, founded an organization and website called Latin American Supercentenarians (LAS). Active until early 2023—when it was merged into LongeviQuest—LAS greatly expanded research efforts in the region. During its operation, the number of validated supercentenarians rose from just a dozen or two to several hundred, and that number continues to grow at LongeviQuest.

Nonetheless, Latin America remains a challenging region for age validation due to numerous exaggerated or false claims. In many cases, such claims can be easily disproven when documentation is accessible—for example, baptismal records often reveal a significantly younger age than claimed. However, not all cases are straightforward. Some involve more complex scenarios, such as stolen identities or the accidental—or even intentional—use of another person’s documents.

Below, we will examine some of the more challenging and intriguing exaggerated supercentenarian claims from Latin America, highlighting the importance of upholding strict standards in age validation.

María Mojica Torres

Let’s begin with one of our more recent validations: María Mojica Torres of Puerto Rico, whose age was both debunked and validated just days ago. She claimed to have been born on 3 May 1895, and passed away on 30 April 2014—just shy of her claimed 119th birthday. Had this been true, she would have ranked as the third-oldest person ever recorded. However, research conducted by LongeviQuest determined that this was most likely a case of identity swap, probably accidental.

Her age had been questioned for many years. As early as 2014, independent researchers on supercentenarian forums highlighted a 1910 census record that listed her as 7 years old at the time—implying a birth year around 1903. When we investigated further, we found a baptismal record supporting birth on 3 May 1895, which at first seemed to support the original claim. However, additional evidence indicates that the baptism likely belonged to an older sister—also named María—who likely died in childhood.

We later uncovered records for another María, born on 22 August 1903, whose early-life documentation consistently supports this later birth date. It seems that, at some point, her older sister’s baptismal record was mistakenly attributed to her.

In the end, María Mojica Torres was actually 110 years and 251 days old at the time of her passing—still qualifying as a supercentenarian. This case stands out as a rare example in which a longevity claim (typically 115+ years) is disproven but still results in confirmed supercentenarian status, despite the initial age exaggeration.

Jesus Elías Loaiza Arenas

Loaiza Arenas claimed to have been born on 22 February 1905, in the municipality of Amalfi, located in the Antioquia Department of Colombia. He continued to reside in this region later in life. His parents were Miguel Antonio Loaiza and Zoila Rosa Arenas, and he was the youngest of nine siblings—seven brothers and one sister—all of whom he outlived.

He married María Ermelina Monsalve in Yolombó on 4 June 1951, when she was just 15 years old, and together they had 11 children. By 2015, he was said to have over 150 descendants. Due to his family’s poverty, he was never able to attend school. He spent his entire life working as a day laborer in the towns of Amalfi, Yolombó, and Don Matías.

He continued to appear in both local and national media for many years, up until his passing on 15 February 2024, at the claimed age of 118 years and 358 days. Had this claim been accurate, he would have been the oldest man ever recorded. However, researcher Santiago García Medina uncovered evidence suggesting that he was likely younger than claimed.

In the Church of Inmaculada Concepción in Amalfi, two baptismal records were found. The first, dated 22 April 1905, documents the baptism of a two-month-old boy named Elías Loaiza Arenas—seemingly a perfect match.

However, another record from the same family shows a son named Jesús Emilio baptized on 2 October 1920, having been born on 13 September of that year. This record includes a 1951 annotation regarding his marriage, which directly links it to the supercentenarian claimant. Based on this evidence, it is more likely that the claimant—Jesús Elías—was born in 1920 and was therefore 103 years old at the time of his death.

Sara Corzo

In late March 2019, several Colombian media outlets—including Bogotá’s El Tiempo and El Colombiano—reported on the claimed 118th birthday of Sara Corzo, a resident of the Wellbeing and Life Center in Barrancabermeja, Santander Department. According to her ID card, she was born in Valledupar on 30 March 1901.

It was reported that she had been living at the facility for 43 years, had no known family, and no one had ever visited her or come forward claiming to know her or her background. Allegedly, she had wandered the streets of Barrancabermeja alone for several years until someone eventually took her in and brought her to the nursing home. When she was admitted to the facility on 10 February 1976, she was no longer able to speak and communicated only through sign language.

However, shortly after the news was published, it reached the family of the real Sara Corzo. Relatives noticed that the ID number mentioned in the articles matched that of their late family member, Sara Francisca Corzo Maestre, who had passed away in 1996 at the age of 95. The family provided both her ID and death certificate to confirm this.

In response, María Eugenia Cuesta, the director of the nursing home, took the woman in question to the Civil Registry to help clarify the situation. Her fingerprints were sent to the National Registry in Bogotá, and it was reported that her true identity would soon be determined. However, it remains unclear whether this ever happened, as no further updates were reported in the media. Not long after, the claimant passed away, on 9 May 2019.

It remains unknown how she came into possession of the real Sara Corzo’s ID card. The document had been updated in Barrancabermeja on 14 November 2002—several years after the real Sara’s death.