BIOGRAPHY

María Varas Hernández was born in San Juan de la Nava, Castile and León, Spain, on 15 February 1910. Her father died when she was very young, and she soon had to start working. She married a young rancher from San Juan de la Nava, Faustino Yuste. When she was 30 years old, they moved to Navaluenga, where she worked cleaning a dance hall.

Her husband passed away at the age of 82 after a long illness.

On her 110th birthday, the town of Navaluenga honored her with a celebration that included a performance by the Municipal Music Band and heartfelt tributes from her family and local officials. She sang a song herself and expressed her gratitude for the recognition. At the time, three of her children were still living: María, Mariano, and Faustino, aged 82, 79, and 76, respectively. She also had 10 grandchildren and 18 great-grandchildren, with the youngest about to turn 2. At the time, she mentioned that she always worked like a man, doing activities such as plowing and threshing. When asked about the secret to her longevity, she said she ate little and worked a lot. She wasn’t picky about food and ate everything, including chickpeas, beans, bacon, and goat’s milk.

Varas Hernández passed away in Navaluenga, Castile and León, Spain, on 20 October 2020.

RECOGNITION

Her age has not been validated by LongeviQuest.

ATTRIBUTION

* “La tía María celebra su 110 cumpleaños cantando coplas en Navaluenga (Ávila)” – La Vanguardia, 15 February 2020

* “Los espléndidos 110 años de la tía María” – Diario de Burgos, 15 February 2020

* “Muere a los 110 años en Navaluenga la tía María” – Ávilared, 21 October 2020

GALLERY