We came upon the proper house, and asking for entrance and photo-taking permissions, captured La Carpio's greatest woman (and the most aged dame I've had the fortune of meeting)
La Carpio's Greatest Woman. Fanclin Mora Marin was born on March 9, 1890 in Nicaragua. That's 117 years old, if you don't want to count. And she was 105 when she moved to La Carpio with her family. A remarkable feat.
Mother and Daughter. Mrs. Marin had 9 kids, three of whom are no longer living. She has 33 grandchildren and 42 great-grandchildren. I asked Franclin to reveal her secret to long life. Her answer? Hard manual labor. She worked the agriculture fields of Nicaragua with a machete for 30 years. And I guess it worked. And Franclin is in great health. She can walk about freely (though slowly). Her vision is fair and her hearing poor, but overall quite strong. That's one of her great-grandkids, Esteban on the right.
Daughter. This daughter is 86. I think she barely looks 60. Seems the longevity is hereditary.
I had to laugh at one point when the daughter asked her mom a question. Mom didn't hear and so daughter raised her voice to a low holler. A classic child/elderly parent exchange and one I've observed not infrequently with my own mother and grandmother. Some parts of humanity are amusingly parallel at times.
Not so tall. Some perspective to the situation.
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I can't believe it. Go back and find out what those women are eating (or not eating!) That's incredible. You're right though, neither Franclin or her daughter look even close to their age. Can you imagine living 117 years and still be walking, talking, sane, and such? That just doesn't happen these days. Do you know how long her parents lived? Did she only marry once? How long has she been a widow? Does she live with her daughter? How tall (short) is she?
oh wow. I laughed kind of a lot at the last picture.
Jingleberry,
As unlikely as it is, does she have verification of her age? If so, she would be the oldest living woman, by a whopping 3 years. Probably better to live in Guiness Book-less peace.
Bam-a-lam entrevista forthcoming--maybe January?