BIOGRAPHY

Sofía Rojas was born on 13 August 1907, on a small farm in Suaita, Santander, Colombia, to her mother, Carmen Rojas. At some point, she married and had four children. She worked as a guarapo seller.

In 1957, she moved to Bucaramanga, Santander. A devout Catholic, she was particularly devoted to the Virgin of Candelaria. Her family and neighbors affectionately called her La Paloma (Spanish for “the dove”).

At 114, she used a wheelchair when going out but could still walk slowly inside her home with assistance from two people. At the time, her youngest sister, Brígida, was still alive at 97. She also had three surviving children, 18 grandchildren, 24 great-grandchildren, and 16 great-great-grandchildren.

Rojas passed away in Bucaramanga, Santander, Colombia, on 30 July 2022, at the age of 114 years and 351 days, just two weeks shy of her 115th birthday.

RECOGNITION

On 12 October 2021, at the age of 114 years, 60 days, she surpassed the age of Carmen Emilia Jaramillo (1906–2020), becoming the oldest validated person ever from Colombia.

Her age was verified by Santiago Garcia and Stefan Maglov, and validated by the LAS on 3 February 2022.

ATTRIBUTION

GALLERY