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Leandra Becerra Lumbreras

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Leandra Becerra Lumbreras
BornAugust 31, 1887 (claimed)
Mexico
DiedMarch 19, 2015 (aged 127 years, 200 days, unverified)
Mexico
NationalityMexican
OccupationFormer seamstress[1]
Known forClaims of being oldest living person in modern history

Leandra Becerra Lumbreras (August 31, 1887 (claimed) – March 19, 2015)[2][3] was a purported Mexican revolutionary and supercentenarian who claimed to have been born August 31, 1887, which would have made her the longest living person in history.

Biography

Becerra claimed to have been born on August 31, 1887, to parents who were singers.[4] As The Daily Telegraph writes, this would have meant that "She was 27 when World War I erupted, 75 when John F. Kennedy was shot and over 100 when the Berlin Wall came down."[5]

From 1910 to 1917, Becerra claimed to have fought as a leader of the Adelitas in the Mexican Revolution. The Adelitas were a group of women who joined with their husbands in battle.[6] During the revolution, she was purportedly romantically involved with Margarito Maldonado, a revolutionary leader, who she said gave Becerra an old rifle that she still owned in 2014. Becerra recounted that Maldonado was "one of the great loves of her life."[7]

It has been reported that Becerra outlived her five children and several of her 20 grandchildren, but, as last reported, she still had 73 great-grandchildren and 55 great-great-grandchildren.[8][9]

Oldest living person

Becerra claimed to have lost her birth certificate in a move in 1974, meaning she could not conclusively prove her age.[10] Since she did not have her birth certificate, the Guinness World Records could not verify Becerra's claim and instead recognized Misao Okawa (1898–2015) as the world's oldest living person, and Jeanne Calment (1875–1997) as the longest-lived person in history.[11]

After her death on March 19, 2015, some media outlets reported that the Mexican government had confirmed that she was 127 at the time of her death,[12] but no officials have so far confirmed this.

A baptism record has been found of a Leandra Becerra Lumbreras of June 4, 1904.[13] This person was born in Joya de San Francisco, Bustamante, Tamaulipas, on March 13 of that year as the daughter of Calixto Becerra and Basilia Lumbreras and would have turned 111 six days before Becerra's death.[14] If this was her, however, she would have been six years old when the Mexican Revolution started.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Mexico's Leandra Becerra Lumbreras becomes oldest person who ever lived at 127". Georgia News Day. 31 Aug 2014. Archived from the original on 7 September 2014. Retrieved 6 September 2014.
  2. ^ "Mexican woman who lived through revolution dies at 127: government". Reuters.
  3. ^ Fallece mujer de 127 años de edad en Zapopan, Jalisco Archived 2015-04-02 at the Wayback Machine (in Spanish)
  4. ^ Payne, Samantha (1 Sep 2014). "19th Century Mexican Revolution 'Fighter' Leandra Becerra Lumbreras Becomes Oldest Person In World". International Business Times. Retrieved 2 September 2014.
  5. ^ Beach, Alastair (31 Aug 2014). "Mexican woman becomes world's 'oldest person' – but lost her only proof 40 years ago". The Telegraph. Retrieved 2 September 2014.
  6. ^ "Mexican woman to become oldest ever person at 127 – and says CHOCOLATE is her secret to long life". Metro. 30 Aug 2014. Retrieved 2 September 2014.
  7. ^ Li, David K. (31 Aug 2014). "127-year-old said to be 'the oldest person to ever live'". New York Post. Retrieved 2 September 2014.
  8. ^ Khemlani, Anjalee (2 Sep 2014). "World's Oldest Living Person: Mexican Woman Leandra Becerra Lumbreras Turns 127". Latin Post. Retrieved 6 September 2014.
  9. ^ Lock, Helen (31 Aug 2014). "Mexican woman becomes world's 'oldest person' at 127". The Independent. Retrieved 6 September 2014.
  10. ^ McCormack, Simon (1 Sep 2014). "Mexican Woman Leandra Becerra Lumbreras Becomes World's Oldest Person". Huffington Post. Retrieved 3 September 2014.
  11. ^ "Mexican Woman Claims To Be 127 Years Old, The Oldest Ever On Earth". Fox News Latino. 2 Sep 2014. Retrieved 6 September 2014.
  12. ^ "Tidenes eldste (127) er død". Dagbladet.no (in Norwegian).
  13. ^ Person Details for Ma. Leandra Becerra, "Mexico Baptisms, 1560–1950"
  14. ^ Fallece mujer más longeva de México, a los 127 años
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