BIOGRAPHY

Palmira Guedes Cardoso was born in Lençóis Paulista, São Paulo, Brazil, on 16 April 1916. She moved to Birigui as a young child, where her father worked on a farm—a path she, too, was expected to follow from an early age. Together, they labored in the sugarcane fields. In addition to farm work, Palmira began working as a domestic helper while still a child. She managed the kitchen, washed and ironed clothes, cleaned the house, and even walked several kilometers during her lunch break to deliver meals to the farm workers.

After her mother’s death, Palmira left Birigui and relocated to Piratininga, a farm connected to her extended family. The property was owned by Colonel Cardoso Franco, who later became the mayor of the city in 1918. Her father, Joaquim, a carpenter by trade, moved to the farm as well. Following his wife’s passing, he needed work and was able to settle in Piratininga thanks to family ties—his sister was married to Leopoldo Cardoso, the colonel’s son. Palmira arrived at the farm as a teenager. Life there revolved around tending to cattle, pigs, and chickens.

It was on the farm that Palmira met her husband, Heitor, with whom she spent her entire life. Together, they had two children: Pedro and Miraci.

RECOGNITION

Her age was verified by Gabriel Ainsworth and Iara Souza, and validated by LongeviQuest on 18 June 2025.

ATTRIBUTION

* “Palmira Cardoso, 108 anos: o segredo é trabalhar e dançar” – Sampi Notícias, 28 April 2024

GALLERY