An indigenous man in Bolivia whose reported age would have made him the oldest person ever known, died on Monday night in his village near Lake Titicaca, his only living son said.
Carmelo Flores, an Aymara Indian, claimed to be 123 years old. Flores carried national identity documents based on a baptism certificate showing his birthday as July 16, 1890.
But Bolivia only began issuing official birth certificates in 1940 and authorities were never able to confirm or disprove Flores’ age.
“He died yesterday at nine at night,” his son Cecilio Flores, who is nearly 70, said on Tuesday. “He wasn’t able to stand up, his foot was swollen. Doctors told me that’s how it is with diabetes.”
Flores attributed his longevity to eating quinoa seeds and riverside mushrooms, and to constantly chewing coca leaves.
