Angélica Ordóñez de Colodro

BIOGRAPHY

Ordóñez de Colodro claimed to have been born in the village of Carandayti, near Macharetí, Luis Calvo Province, Chuquisaca Department, Bolivia, on 26 April 1910.

At some point (reportedly prior to 1932), she married a man with the surname Colodro. The couple had either 12 or 8 children (sources vary). She gave birth to her youngest child, Nery, when she was around 44 years old.

When the Chaco War (1932–35) broke out, she was a young wife and mother of a small son. Her two brothers and her husband were conscripted to the battlefield, and she was forced to flee her home when Paraguayan troops (“pilas”) arrived. With her son by her side, she chose to join her family at the battlefield. To survive, she baked bread for the always hungry soldiers. Despite not being a nurse, she took on nursing duties voluntarily, caring for the sick and wounded during the war and providing moral support to those who fell. As a nurse, she participated in the retaking of the city of Charagua (“Retoma de Charagua”) in April 1935.

In April 2018, she celebrated her 108th birthday in Villa Montes, Tarija Department, where some of her relatives lived. She was honored by the Municipal Government of Villa Montes and declared “Favorite Daughter” (“Hija predilecta”) for her efforts during the Chaco War. During the celebration, she had an emotional meeting with the only living war veteran in Villa Montes at the time, Benigno Garrado Peñaranda (28 February 1912 – 2 February 2021), who was 106 years old.

Ordóñez de Colodro passed away early in the morning on 12 March 2021, at the age of 110 years, 320 days. She was survived by three of her children, 21 grandchildren, 43 great-grandchildren and 18 great-great-grandchildren. Her eldest grandson was 67 at the time.

RECOGNITION

Her age has not been validated.

ATTRIBUTION

* “…Sra. Angelica Ordoñez viuda de Colodro, enfermera de la Guerra Del Chaco, en sus 108 años de vida.” – Concejo Municipal Villa Montes, 26 April 2018

* “La última enfermera de la Guerra del Chaco cumplió 108 años” – Correo del Sur, 13 May 2018

* “Fallece a los 110 años la última enfermera de la Guerra del Chaco” – Correo del Sur, 12 March 2021

GALLERY

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