Ayala was born in Güepsa, Santander, Colombia on 13 August 1896. She was the daughter of Higinia Ayala, who was single at the time. Ever since she was a child, she was always very careful with her diet. She spent her childhood and part of adolescence on her parents’ estate, caring for cows and chickens. At some point, she moved to Suaita, Santander, where she met and married her husband, Isidro Aranda. She had seven children.

Her husband died 53 years prior to her 112th birthday. Ayala moved to Bogotá on 24 November 2007. In 2008, she had six living children, 29 grandchildren, 40 great-grandchildren, and nine great-great-grandchildren. On her 113th birthday in 2008, she was reported to be lucid and had a good sense of humor. Her granddaughter, Julieta Diaz, said: My grandmother was always a country woman. She lived in fresh air and with healthy food, and although she moved to the city, she maintained her good eating habits. At the end of her life, she lived in Chapinero in Bogotá.

Transito Ayala died in Bogotá, Colombia on 9 October 2008 at the age of 112 years, 57 days.