Supercentenarian Profile

Micaela Patricia Corbacho Oviedo

Born:

1902-08-28

Tacna, Tacna Department

Peru

Died:

Micaela Patricia Corbacho Oviedo was a Peruvian supercentenarian.

BIOGRAPHY

Micaela Patricia Corbacho Oviedo was born in Tacna, Tacna Department, Peru (then Chile), on 28 August 1902 (claimed 1900). According to her account, after her mother died, the rest of the family assumed that she had died as well. She spent part of her childhood in the Azapa Valley near Arica—now located in present-day Chile.

She later arrived in Lima with her godfather aboard a vessel operated by the Peruvian Steamship Company. There, she attended a boarding school in the Barranco district. However, because she lacked any documents proving her identity or legal existence, she was never able to formally complete or certify her education.

In March 2008, it was reported that she had finally received her first official identity card. Reflecting on the milestone with humor, she remarked: “Now I’ll be able to vote. I’ve never voted before. I’m going to get married—to a carpenter, so he can make my coffin.” She also explained that, for decades, she had been unable to claim a house her father had left her because she possessed no identification documents to establish her identity.

Around 1983, she moved into the Ignacia Rodolfo de Canevaro shelter in the Rímac district of Lima, where she remained for the rest of her life. She was still residing there on 26 December 2012, the last date on which she was confirmed to be alive. According to some accounts, she was among the founders of the shelter, which began operating in 1982 with the support of President Fernando Belaúnde Terry.