Emiliano Mercado del Toro
Encyclopedia
Emiliano Mercado del Toro (August 21, 1891 – January 24, 2007) was, at age 115, the world's oldest person
for six weeks, and the world's oldest man from November 19, 2004 (death of Fred H. Hale, Sr.
) until his own death on January 24, 2007. He is the oldest verified military veteran ever. Having died at age 115 years 156 days, Mercado is the second oldest fully validated male ever, 96 days behind Danish
-American
Christian Mortensen
's record of 115 years 252 days. On 21 August 2006, Mercado became the second fully validated man in history to reach age 115 (almost exactly nine years after Mortensen did so in August 1997). He also holds the distinction as being the oldest man to have lived in three different centuries (although the oldest person of either gender to live in three centuries was Maria Capovilla
of Ecuador
). Del Toro was the last living documented person born in 1891.
He officially became the oldest documented living person on December 11, 2006, following the death of 116-year-old Elizabeth Bolden
. He was the 34th person to hold this title since its inception, and the most recent man to do so.
, the son of Delfin Mercado and Gumercinda del Toro. Emiliano worked in the cane fields until the age of 81. He never married and never had children, but said he had three "girlfriends" (love interests) in his life.
did someone finally start sending in documents. Following Fred's passing, Emiliano apparently became the oldest man in the world, with documents supplied so far including a birth certificate, baptismal certificate, 1910 census record and veteran ID card. By January 2005, Guinness had accepted Emiliano as the "oldest living man whose age could be fully authenticated".
He was one of the few males to hold the title of oldest living person (the 16 preceding title holders, as well as 39 of the top 40 oldest persons living at the time of his death, were all female) and is currently the most recent to do so (all subsequent title holders have been female). Mercado was four years older at the time than his successor as oldest living man, Tomoji Tanabe from Japan
. The last male to have held the title was the latter's countryman Shigechiyo Izumi
in 1986, although his longevity
is disputed.
In addition, as a veteran of the First World War
, he broke the record for longest-lived veteran of any military force that was set by Antonio Todde
, albeit as a non-combat veteran (Mercado was still in training camp when the November 11, 1918 armistice
was declared).
In 1993, he was honored by U.S. President Bill Clinton
with the medal commemorating the 75th anniversary of the signing of the truce that ended World War I. Mercado del Toro, the elder of two siblings, had to move from his familiar Cabo Rojo grounds due to a fall he had in his home when he was 102, which affected his hipbone. His 85 year-old niece took him to live with his relatives, and he was well taken care of by nieces and nephews - and their families, who called him "Tío Millo" ("Uncle Millo")- at their home in Isabela
.
in 1898, and he clearly remembered the fighting that marked the end of Spain
's colonial empire in the Americas
. He credited his longevity to funche, a boiled corn
, cod
fish and milk
cream-like dish, which he ate every day as a habit.
Mercado also claimed that his sense of humor was probably responsible for his long life, and he would tell jokes and humorous anecdotes almost to the end of his days. He would not elaborate on details of his love life, but would humorously hint about them: in one of the many interviews he gave to Puerto Rican media, Mercado claimed to have been at the "dancing club" (a euphemism for a bordello
) owned by Isabel Luberza Oppenheimer
(better known as "Isabel la Negra
") the day she was assassinated. He was 83 years old at the time and reportedly hid under a table when Oppenheimer's killers started firing gunshots. Asked what he was doing there, he said: "praying... or at least I was when the bullets started flying!"
His last two birthdays were media events in the town of Isabela. Civic leaders and veterans commended Mercado on his endurance and lucid mind, but the "gift" he would enjoy the most was the visit of Puerto Rican vedette
and media icon Iris Chacón
. In an interview, Mercado claimed to be a great fan of the artist, and particularly of her derrière
("That rump was something serious!", he was quoted as saying). Chacón visited Mercado, who, although he could barely see or hear by the time of his 114th birthday, was pleased with her visit. His photo touching Chacón's rear end
, with a big smile on his face, made newspaper headlines in Puerto Rico. She returned the following year to greet him. After hearing news of Mercado's death, Chacón was quoted as saying: "I feel like I've lost my own grandfather. I was blessed for knowing him, knowing that I made him happy, and blessed for the anecdotes and wishes he told me the times I met him. His wisdom is something I learned a lot from. His life is an example of how you're supposed to live your life, happily and doing good, for it will give you longevity and goodwill from everyone."
He was buried at the Municipal Cemetery of his native town of Cabo Rojo, with mayors, legislators and Puerto Rican "vedette" Iris Chacón
in attendance.
He was the oldest living person at his death, and is the most recent man to hold the title of oldest living person. He became the oldest living person when 116-year-old American supercentenarian Elizabeth Bolden
died on Monday, December 11, 2006. He is the oldest verified person who died in 2007.
Emiliano Mercado del Toro (August 21, 1891 – January 24, 2007) was, at age 115, the world's oldest person
for six weeks, and the world's oldest man from November 19, 2004 (death of Fred H. Hale, Sr.
) until his own death on January 24, 2007. He is the oldest verified military veteran ever. Having died at age 115 years 156 days, Mercado is the second oldest fully validated male ever, 96 days behind Danish
-American
Christian Mortensen
's record of 115 years 252 days. On 21 August 2006, Mercado became the second fully validated man in history to reach age 115 (almost exactly nine years after Mortensen did so in August 1997). He also holds the distinction as being the oldest man to have lived in three different centuries (although the oldest person of either gender to live in three centuries was Maria Capovilla
of Ecuador
). Del Toro was the last living documented person born in 1891.
He officially became the oldest documented living person on December 11, 2006, following the death of 116-year-old Elizabeth Bolden
. He was the 34th person to hold this title since its inception, and the most recent man to do so.
, the son of Delfin Mercado and Gumercinda del Toro. Emiliano worked in the cane fields until the age of 81. He never married and never had children, but said he had three "girlfriends" (love interests) in his life.
did someone finally start sending in documents. Following Fred's passing, Emiliano apparently became the oldest man in the world, with documents supplied so far including a birth certificate, baptismal certificate, 1910 census record and veteran ID card. By January 2005, Guinness had accepted Emiliano as the "oldest living man whose age could be fully authenticated".
He was one of the few males to hold the title of oldest living person (the 16 preceding title holders, as well as 39 of the top 40 oldest persons living at the time of his death, were all female) and is currently the most recent to do so (all subsequent title holders have been female). Mercado was four years older at the time than his successor as oldest living man, Tomoji Tanabe from Japan
. The last male to have held the title was the latter's countryman Shigechiyo Izumi
in 1986, although his longevity
is disputed.
In addition, as a veteran of the First World War
, he broke the record for longest-lived veteran of any military force that was set by Antonio Todde
, albeit as a non-combat veteran (Mercado was still in training camp when the November 11, 1918 armistice
was declared).
In 1993, he was honored by U.S. President Bill Clinton
with the medal commemorating the 75th anniversary of the signing of the truce that ended World War I. Mercado del Toro, the elder of two siblings, had to move from his familiar Cabo Rojo grounds due to a fall he had in his home when he was 102, which affected his hipbone. His 85 year-old niece took him to live with his relatives, and he was well taken care of by nieces and nephews - and their families, who called him "Tío Millo" ("Uncle Millo")- at their home in Isabela
.
in 1898, and he clearly remembered the fighting that marked the end of Spain
's colonial empire in the Americas
. He credited his longevity to funche, a boiled corn
, cod
fish and milk
cream-like dish, which he ate every day as a habit.
Mercado also claimed that his sense of humor was probably responsible for his long life, and he would tell jokes and humorous anecdotes almost to the end of his days. He would not elaborate on details of his love life, but would humorously hint about them: in one of the many interviews he gave to Puerto Rican media, Mercado claimed to have been at the "dancing club" (a euphemism for a bordello
) owned by Isabel Luberza Oppenheimer
(better known as "Isabel la Negra
") the day she was assassinated. He was 83 years old at the time and reportedly hid under a table when Oppenheimer's killers started firing gunshots. Asked what he was doing there, he said: "praying... or at least I was when the bullets started flying!"
His last two birthdays were media events in the town of Isabela. Civic leaders and veterans commended Mercado on his endurance and lucid mind, but the "gift" he would enjoy the most was the visit of Puerto Rican vedette
and media icon Iris Chacón
. In an interview, Mercado claimed to be a great fan of the artist, and particularly of her derrière
("That rump was something serious!", he was quoted as saying). Chacón visited Mercado, who, although he could barely see or hear by the time of his 114th birthday, was pleased with her visit. His photo touching Chacón's rear end
, with a big smile on his face, made newspaper headlines in Puerto Rico. She returned the following year to greet him. After hearing news of Mercado's death, Chacón was quoted as saying: "I feel like I've lost my own grandfather. I was blessed for knowing him, knowing that I made him happy, and blessed for the anecdotes and wishes he told me the times I met him. His wisdom is something I learned a lot from. His life is an example of how you're supposed to live your life, happily and doing good, for it will give you longevity and goodwill from everyone."
He was buried at the Municipal Cemetery of his native town of Cabo Rojo, with mayors, legislators and Puerto Rican "vedette" Iris Chacón
in attendance.
He was the oldest living person at his death, and is the most recent man to hold the title of oldest living person. He became the oldest living person when 116-year-old American supercentenarian Elizabeth Bolden
died on Monday, December 11, 2006. He is the oldest verified person who died in 2007.
Emiliano Mercado del Toro (August 21, 1891 – January 24, 2007) was, at age 115, the world's oldest person
for six weeks, and the world's oldest man from November 19, 2004 (death of Fred H. Hale, Sr.
) until his own death on January 24, 2007. He is the oldest verified military veteran ever. Having died at age 115 years 156 days, Mercado is the second oldest fully validated male ever, 96 days behind Danish
-American
Christian Mortensen
's record of 115 years 252 days. On 21 August 2006, Mercado became the second fully validated man in history to reach age 115 (almost exactly nine years after Mortensen did so in August 1997). He also holds the distinction as being the oldest man to have lived in three different centuries (although the oldest person of either gender to live in three centuries was Maria Capovilla
of Ecuador
). Del Toro was the last living documented person born in 1891.
He officially became the oldest documented living person on December 11, 2006, following the death of 116-year-old Elizabeth Bolden
. He was the 34th person to hold this title since its inception, and the most recent man to do so.
, the son of Delfin Mercado and Gumercinda del Toro. Emiliano worked in the cane fields until the age of 81. He never married and never had children, but said he had three "girlfriends" (love interests) in his life.
did someone finally start sending in documents. Following Fred's passing, Emiliano apparently became the oldest man in the world, with documents supplied so far including a birth certificate, baptismal certificate, 1910 census record and veteran ID card. By January 2005, Guinness had accepted Emiliano as the "oldest living man whose age could be fully authenticated".
He was one of the few males to hold the title of oldest living person (the 16 preceding title holders, as well as 39 of the top 40 oldest persons living at the time of his death, were all female) and is currently the most recent to do so (all subsequent title holders have been female). Mercado was four years older at the time than his successor as oldest living man, Tomoji Tanabe from Japan
. The last male to have held the title was the latter's countryman Shigechiyo Izumi
in 1986, although his longevity
is disputed.
In addition, as a veteran of the First World War
, he broke the record for longest-lived veteran of any military force that was set by Antonio Todde
, albeit as a non-combat veteran (Mercado was still in training camp when the November 11, 1918 armistice
was declared).
In 1993, he was honored by U.S. President Bill Clinton
with the medal commemorating the 75th anniversary of the signing of the truce that ended World War I. Mercado del Toro, the elder of two siblings, had to move from his familiar Cabo Rojo grounds due to a fall he had in his home when he was 102, which affected his hipbone. His 85 year-old niece took him to live with his relatives, and he was well taken care of by nieces and nephews - and their families, who called him "Tío Millo" ("Uncle Millo")- at their home in Isabela
.
in 1898, and he clearly remembered the fighting that marked the end of Spain
's colonial empire in the Americas
. He credited his longevity to funche, a boiled corn
, cod
fish and milk
cream-like dish, which he ate every day as a habit.
Mercado also claimed that his sense of humor was probably responsible for his long life, and he would tell jokes and humorous anecdotes almost to the end of his days. He would not elaborate on details of his love life, but would humorously hint about them: in one of the many interviews he gave to Puerto Rican media, Mercado claimed to have been at the "dancing club" (a euphemism for a bordello
) owned by Isabel Luberza Oppenheimer
(better known as "Isabel la Negra
") the day she was assassinated. He was 83 years old at the time and reportedly hid under a table when Oppenheimer's killers started firing gunshots. Asked what he was doing there, he said: "praying... or at least I was when the bullets started flying!"
His last two birthdays were media events in the town of Isabela. Civic leaders and veterans commended Mercado on his endurance and lucid mind, but the "gift" he would enjoy the most was the visit of Puerto Rican vedette
and media icon Iris Chacón
. In an interview, Mercado claimed to be a great fan of the artist, and particularly of her derrière
("That rump was something serious!", he was quoted as saying). Chacón visited Mercado, who, although he could barely see or hear by the time of his 114th birthday, was pleased with her visit. His photo touching Chacón's rear end
, with a big smile on his face, made newspaper headlines in Puerto Rico. She returned the following year to greet him. After hearing news of Mercado's death, Chacón was quoted as saying: "I feel like I've lost my own grandfather. I was blessed for knowing him, knowing that I made him happy, and blessed for the anecdotes and wishes he told me the times I met him. His wisdom is something I learned a lot from. His life is an example of how you're supposed to live your life, happily and doing good, for it will give you longevity and goodwill from everyone."
He was buried at the Municipal Cemetery of his native town of Cabo Rojo, with mayors, legislators and Puerto Rican "vedette" Iris Chacón
in attendance.
He was the oldest living person at his death, and is the most recent man to hold the title of oldest living person. He became the oldest living person when 116-year-old American supercentenarian Elizabeth Bolden
died on Monday, December 11, 2006. He is the oldest verified person who died in 2007.
Oldest people
This is a list of tables of the verified oldest people in the world in ordinal rank, such as oldest person or oldest man. In these tables, a supercentenarian is considered 'verified' if his or her claim has been validated by an international body that specifically deals in longevity research, such...
for six weeks, and the world's oldest man from November 19, 2004 (death of Fred H. Hale, Sr.
Fred H. Hale, Sr.
Fred Harold Hale, Sr. was an American supercentenarian and the 88th oldest verified person ever. He became the oldest recognized verified living man in the United States following the death of John Ingram McMorran in February 2003 and the oldest living recognized man in the world following the...
) until his own death on January 24, 2007. He is the oldest verified military veteran ever. Having died at age 115 years 156 days, Mercado is the second oldest fully validated male ever, 96 days behind Danish
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
-American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Christian Mortensen
Christian Mortensen
Thomas Peter Thorvald Kristian Ferdinand Mortensen , known as an adult as Christian Mortensen, was a Danish supercentenarian. At the time of his death he was 115 years and 252 days old—the longest fully authenticated lifespan of any male in history...
's record of 115 years 252 days. On 21 August 2006, Mercado became the second fully validated man in history to reach age 115 (almost exactly nine years after Mortensen did so in August 1997). He also holds the distinction as being the oldest man to have lived in three different centuries (although the oldest person of either gender to live in three centuries was Maria Capovilla
María Capovilla
María Esther Heredia de Capovilla was an Ecuadorian supercentenarian, and, at the time of her death at age 116 years 347 days, was recognized by Guinness World Records as the world's oldest living person. She was the last remaining person born in the 1880s...
of Ecuador
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
). Del Toro was the last living documented person born in 1891.
He officially became the oldest documented living person on December 11, 2006, following the death of 116-year-old Elizabeth Bolden
Elizabeth Bolden
Elizabeth "Lizzie" Bolden was an American supercentenarian woman who, at the time of her death at age 116 years and 118 days, was recognized by Guinness World Records as the then world's oldest living person. She was the last remaining documented person born in 1890. Bolden was the seventh...
. He was the 34th person to hold this title since its inception, and the most recent man to do so.
Biography
Emiliano (known to his family as "Emilio") was born in Cabo Rojo, Puerto RicoCabo Rojo, Puerto Rico
Cabo Rojo is a municipality situated on the southwest coast of Puerto Rico and forms part of the San Germán–Cabo Rojo metropolitan area as well as the larger Mayagüez–San Germán–Cabo Rojo Combined Statistical Area....
, the son of Delfin Mercado and Gumercinda del Toro. Emiliano worked in the cane fields until the age of 81. He never married and never had children, but said he had three "girlfriends" (love interests) in his life.
Accolades
Mercado first came to the attention of longevity researchers in 2001, when a story ran about a 110-year-old veteran in a parade in Puerto Rico. After that, researchers tried to track him down, but only after the November 2004 death of Fred H. Hale, Sr.Fred H. Hale, Sr.
Fred Harold Hale, Sr. was an American supercentenarian and the 88th oldest verified person ever. He became the oldest recognized verified living man in the United States following the death of John Ingram McMorran in February 2003 and the oldest living recognized man in the world following the...
did someone finally start sending in documents. Following Fred's passing, Emiliano apparently became the oldest man in the world, with documents supplied so far including a birth certificate, baptismal certificate, 1910 census record and veteran ID card. By January 2005, Guinness had accepted Emiliano as the "oldest living man whose age could be fully authenticated".
He was one of the few males to hold the title of oldest living person (the 16 preceding title holders, as well as 39 of the top 40 oldest persons living at the time of his death, were all female) and is currently the most recent to do so (all subsequent title holders have been female). Mercado was four years older at the time than his successor as oldest living man, Tomoji Tanabe from Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. The last male to have held the title was the latter's countryman Shigechiyo Izumi
Shigechiyo Izumi
was a Japanese centenarian who was titled the oldest living person after the death of Niwa Kawamoto, also from Japan. His case was first verfied by Guinness World Records, who titled him the oldest person ever, but Guinness have in recent years backed from their previous statement; in the Guinness...
in 1986, although his longevity
Longevity
The word "longevity" is sometimes used as a synonym for "life expectancy" in demography or known as "long life", especially when it concerns someone or something lasting longer than expected ....
is disputed.
In addition, as a veteran of the First World War
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, he broke the record for longest-lived veteran of any military force that was set by Antonio Todde
Antonio Todde
Antonio Todde He was the oldest man in the world from the death of American John Painter until Todde's own death on January 3, 2002, at age 112 years, 346 days...
, albeit as a non-combat veteran (Mercado was still in training camp when the November 11, 1918 armistice
Armistice with Germany (Compiègne)
The armistice between the Allies and Germany was an agreement that ended the fighting in the First World War. It was signed in a railway carriage in Compiègne Forest on 11 November 1918 and marked a victory for the Allies and a complete defeat for Germany, although not technically a surrender...
was declared).
In 1993, he was honored by U.S. President Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
with the medal commemorating the 75th anniversary of the signing of the truce that ended World War I. Mercado del Toro, the elder of two siblings, had to move from his familiar Cabo Rojo grounds due to a fall he had in his home when he was 102, which affected his hipbone. His 85 year-old niece took him to live with his relatives, and he was well taken care of by nieces and nephews - and their families, who called him "Tío Millo" ("Uncle Millo")- at their home in Isabela
Isabela, Puerto Rico
Isabela is a municipality of Puerto Rico located in the north-western region of the island, north of San Sebastián; west of Quebradillas; and east of Aguadilla and Moca. Isabela is spread over 13 wards and Isabela Pueblo...
.
Later life
Mercado could reminisce about being a child when U.S. troops invaded Puerto RicoSpanish-American War
The Spanish–American War was a conflict in 1898 between Spain and the United States, effectively the result of American intervention in the ongoing Cuban War of Independence...
in 1898, and he clearly remembered the fighting that marked the end of Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
's colonial empire in the Americas
Americas
The Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...
. He credited his longevity to funche, a boiled corn
Maize
Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
, cod
Cod
Cod is the common name for genus Gadus, belonging to the family Gadidae, and is also used in the common name for various other fishes. Cod is a popular food with a mild flavor, low fat content and a dense, flaky white flesh. Cod livers are processed to make cod liver oil, an important source of...
fish and milk
Milk
Milk is a white liquid produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals before they are able to digest other types of food. Early-lactation milk contains colostrum, which carries the mother's antibodies to the baby and can reduce the risk of many...
cream-like dish, which he ate every day as a habit.
Mercado also claimed that his sense of humor was probably responsible for his long life, and he would tell jokes and humorous anecdotes almost to the end of his days. He would not elaborate on details of his love life, but would humorously hint about them: in one of the many interviews he gave to Puerto Rican media, Mercado claimed to have been at the "dancing club" (a euphemism for a bordello
Brothel
Brothels are business establishments where patrons can engage in sexual activities with prostitutes. Brothels are known under a variety of names, including bordello, cathouse, knocking shop, whorehouse, strumpet house, sporting house, house of ill repute, house of prostitution, and bawdy house...
) owned by Isabel Luberza Oppenheimer
Isabel la Negra
Isabel Luberza Oppenheimer , better known as "Isabel la Negra", was a Puerto Rican brothel owner and madam in Ponce, Puerto Rico. Her name and her brothel, Elizabeth's Dancing Club, became part of Puerto Rican folklore both during her life and posthumously...
(better known as "Isabel la Negra
Isabel la Negra
Isabel Luberza Oppenheimer , better known as "Isabel la Negra", was a Puerto Rican brothel owner and madam in Ponce, Puerto Rico. Her name and her brothel, Elizabeth's Dancing Club, became part of Puerto Rican folklore both during her life and posthumously...
") the day she was assassinated. He was 83 years old at the time and reportedly hid under a table when Oppenheimer's killers started firing gunshots. Asked what he was doing there, he said: "praying... or at least I was when the bullets started flying!"
His last two birthdays were media events in the town of Isabela. Civic leaders and veterans commended Mercado on his endurance and lucid mind, but the "gift" he would enjoy the most was the visit of Puerto Rican vedette
Vedette
The French military term vedette , also spelled vidette, migrated into English and other languages to refer to a mounted sentry or outpost, who has the function of bringing information, giving signals or warnings of danger, etc., to a main body of troops...
and media icon Iris Chacón
Iris Chacón
Iris Chacón is a dancer, singer, and entertainer. She enjoys great popularity in Puerto Rico and in other Latin American countries, as well as such US locales as New York, Miami, and Los Angeles.-Career:Chacon has been known by various nicknames, such as "La Bomba de Puerto Rico" Iris Chacón...
. In an interview, Mercado claimed to be a great fan of the artist, and particularly of her derrière
Buttocks
The buttocks are two rounded portions of the anatomy, located on the posterior of the pelvic region of apes and humans, and many other bipeds or quadrupeds, and comprise a layer of fat superimposed on the gluteus maximus and gluteus medius muscles. Physiologically, the buttocks enable weight to...
("That rump was something serious!", he was quoted as saying). Chacón visited Mercado, who, although he could barely see or hear by the time of his 114th birthday, was pleased with her visit. His photo touching Chacón's rear end
Buttocks
The buttocks are two rounded portions of the anatomy, located on the posterior of the pelvic region of apes and humans, and many other bipeds or quadrupeds, and comprise a layer of fat superimposed on the gluteus maximus and gluteus medius muscles. Physiologically, the buttocks enable weight to...
, with a big smile on his face, made newspaper headlines in Puerto Rico. She returned the following year to greet him. After hearing news of Mercado's death, Chacón was quoted as saying: "I feel like I've lost my own grandfather. I was blessed for knowing him, knowing that I made him happy, and blessed for the anecdotes and wishes he told me the times I met him. His wisdom is something I learned a lot from. His life is an example of how you're supposed to live your life, happily and doing good, for it will give you longevity and goodwill from everyone."
He was buried at the Municipal Cemetery of his native town of Cabo Rojo, with mayors, legislators and Puerto Rican "vedette" Iris Chacón
Iris Chacón
Iris Chacón is a dancer, singer, and entertainer. She enjoys great popularity in Puerto Rico and in other Latin American countries, as well as such US locales as New York, Miami, and Los Angeles.-Career:Chacon has been known by various nicknames, such as "La Bomba de Puerto Rico" Iris Chacón...
in attendance.
He was the oldest living person at his death, and is the most recent man to hold the title of oldest living person. He became the oldest living person when 116-year-old American supercentenarian Elizabeth Bolden
Elizabeth Bolden
Elizabeth "Lizzie" Bolden was an American supercentenarian woman who, at the time of her death at age 116 years and 118 days, was recognized by Guinness World Records as the then world's oldest living person. She was the last remaining documented person born in 1890. Bolden was the seventh...
died on Monday, December 11, 2006. He is the oldest verified person who died in 2007.
See also
- List of Puerto Ricans
- List of the verified oldest men
- List of the verified oldest people
- LongevityLongevityThe word "longevity" is sometimes used as a synonym for "life expectancy" in demography or known as "long life", especially when it concerns someone or something lasting longer than expected ....
- SupercentenarianSupercentenarianA supercentenarian is someone who has reached the age of 110 years. This age is achieved by about one in a thousand centenarians....
- Veterans of World War I who died in 2007Veterans of World War I who died in 2007The following is a list of known veterans of the First World War who died in 2007.Veteran Emiliano Mercado del Toro of Puerto Rico , who died aged 115, is the oldest authenticated veteran, from any conflict, to have ever lived.-Canada :-France :-Germany :-Italy The following is a list of known...
External links
- Emiliano Mercado and Iris Chacón (photo)
- Mercado photo gallery at Puerto Rican daily newspaper El Nuevo Dia
- Obituary
Emiliano Mercado del Toro (August 21, 1891 – January 24, 2007) was, at age 115, the world's oldest person
Oldest people
This is a list of tables of the verified oldest people in the world in ordinal rank, such as oldest person or oldest man. In these tables, a supercentenarian is considered 'verified' if his or her claim has been validated by an international body that specifically deals in longevity research, such...
for six weeks, and the world's oldest man from November 19, 2004 (death of Fred H. Hale, Sr.
Fred H. Hale, Sr.
Fred Harold Hale, Sr. was an American supercentenarian and the 88th oldest verified person ever. He became the oldest recognized verified living man in the United States following the death of John Ingram McMorran in February 2003 and the oldest living recognized man in the world following the...
) until his own death on January 24, 2007. He is the oldest verified military veteran ever. Having died at age 115 years 156 days, Mercado is the second oldest fully validated male ever, 96 days behind Danish
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
-American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Christian Mortensen
Christian Mortensen
Thomas Peter Thorvald Kristian Ferdinand Mortensen , known as an adult as Christian Mortensen, was a Danish supercentenarian. At the time of his death he was 115 years and 252 days old—the longest fully authenticated lifespan of any male in history...
's record of 115 years 252 days. On 21 August 2006, Mercado became the second fully validated man in history to reach age 115 (almost exactly nine years after Mortensen did so in August 1997). He also holds the distinction as being the oldest man to have lived in three different centuries (although the oldest person of either gender to live in three centuries was Maria Capovilla
María Capovilla
María Esther Heredia de Capovilla was an Ecuadorian supercentenarian, and, at the time of her death at age 116 years 347 days, was recognized by Guinness World Records as the world's oldest living person. She was the last remaining person born in the 1880s...
of Ecuador
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
). Del Toro was the last living documented person born in 1891.
He officially became the oldest documented living person on December 11, 2006, following the death of 116-year-old Elizabeth Bolden
Elizabeth Bolden
Elizabeth "Lizzie" Bolden was an American supercentenarian woman who, at the time of her death at age 116 years and 118 days, was recognized by Guinness World Records as the then world's oldest living person. She was the last remaining documented person born in 1890. Bolden was the seventh...
. He was the 34th person to hold this title since its inception, and the most recent man to do so.
Biography
Emiliano (known to his family as "Emilio") was born in Cabo Rojo, Puerto RicoCabo Rojo, Puerto Rico
Cabo Rojo is a municipality situated on the southwest coast of Puerto Rico and forms part of the San Germán–Cabo Rojo metropolitan area as well as the larger Mayagüez–San Germán–Cabo Rojo Combined Statistical Area....
, the son of Delfin Mercado and Gumercinda del Toro. Emiliano worked in the cane fields until the age of 81. He never married and never had children, but said he had three "girlfriends" (love interests) in his life.
Accolades
Mercado first came to the attention of longevity researchers in 2001, when a story ran about a 110-year-old veteran in a parade in Puerto Rico. After that, researchers tried to track him down, but only after the November 2004 death of Fred H. Hale, Sr.Fred H. Hale, Sr.
Fred Harold Hale, Sr. was an American supercentenarian and the 88th oldest verified person ever. He became the oldest recognized verified living man in the United States following the death of John Ingram McMorran in February 2003 and the oldest living recognized man in the world following the...
did someone finally start sending in documents. Following Fred's passing, Emiliano apparently became the oldest man in the world, with documents supplied so far including a birth certificate, baptismal certificate, 1910 census record and veteran ID card. By January 2005, Guinness had accepted Emiliano as the "oldest living man whose age could be fully authenticated".
He was one of the few males to hold the title of oldest living person (the 16 preceding title holders, as well as 39 of the top 40 oldest persons living at the time of his death, were all female) and is currently the most recent to do so (all subsequent title holders have been female). Mercado was four years older at the time than his successor as oldest living man, Tomoji Tanabe from Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. The last male to have held the title was the latter's countryman Shigechiyo Izumi
Shigechiyo Izumi
was a Japanese centenarian who was titled the oldest living person after the death of Niwa Kawamoto, also from Japan. His case was first verfied by Guinness World Records, who titled him the oldest person ever, but Guinness have in recent years backed from their previous statement; in the Guinness...
in 1986, although his longevity
Longevity
The word "longevity" is sometimes used as a synonym for "life expectancy" in demography or known as "long life", especially when it concerns someone or something lasting longer than expected ....
is disputed.
In addition, as a veteran of the First World War
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, he broke the record for longest-lived veteran of any military force that was set by Antonio Todde
Antonio Todde
Antonio Todde He was the oldest man in the world from the death of American John Painter until Todde's own death on January 3, 2002, at age 112 years, 346 days...
, albeit as a non-combat veteran (Mercado was still in training camp when the November 11, 1918 armistice
Armistice with Germany (Compiègne)
The armistice between the Allies and Germany was an agreement that ended the fighting in the First World War. It was signed in a railway carriage in Compiègne Forest on 11 November 1918 and marked a victory for the Allies and a complete defeat for Germany, although not technically a surrender...
was declared).
In 1993, he was honored by U.S. President Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
with the medal commemorating the 75th anniversary of the signing of the truce that ended World War I. Mercado del Toro, the elder of two siblings, had to move from his familiar Cabo Rojo grounds due to a fall he had in his home when he was 102, which affected his hipbone. His 85 year-old niece took him to live with his relatives, and he was well taken care of by nieces and nephews - and their families, who called him "Tío Millo" ("Uncle Millo")- at their home in Isabela
Isabela, Puerto Rico
Isabela is a municipality of Puerto Rico located in the north-western region of the island, north of San Sebastián; west of Quebradillas; and east of Aguadilla and Moca. Isabela is spread over 13 wards and Isabela Pueblo...
.
Later life
Mercado could reminisce about being a child when U.S. troops invaded Puerto RicoSpanish-American War
The Spanish–American War was a conflict in 1898 between Spain and the United States, effectively the result of American intervention in the ongoing Cuban War of Independence...
in 1898, and he clearly remembered the fighting that marked the end of Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
's colonial empire in the Americas
Americas
The Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...
. He credited his longevity to funche, a boiled corn
Maize
Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
, cod
Cod
Cod is the common name for genus Gadus, belonging to the family Gadidae, and is also used in the common name for various other fishes. Cod is a popular food with a mild flavor, low fat content and a dense, flaky white flesh. Cod livers are processed to make cod liver oil, an important source of...
fish and milk
Milk
Milk is a white liquid produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals before they are able to digest other types of food. Early-lactation milk contains colostrum, which carries the mother's antibodies to the baby and can reduce the risk of many...
cream-like dish, which he ate every day as a habit.
Mercado also claimed that his sense of humor was probably responsible for his long life, and he would tell jokes and humorous anecdotes almost to the end of his days. He would not elaborate on details of his love life, but would humorously hint about them: in one of the many interviews he gave to Puerto Rican media, Mercado claimed to have been at the "dancing club" (a euphemism for a bordello
Brothel
Brothels are business establishments where patrons can engage in sexual activities with prostitutes. Brothels are known under a variety of names, including bordello, cathouse, knocking shop, whorehouse, strumpet house, sporting house, house of ill repute, house of prostitution, and bawdy house...
) owned by Isabel Luberza Oppenheimer
Isabel la Negra
Isabel Luberza Oppenheimer , better known as "Isabel la Negra", was a Puerto Rican brothel owner and madam in Ponce, Puerto Rico. Her name and her brothel, Elizabeth's Dancing Club, became part of Puerto Rican folklore both during her life and posthumously...
(better known as "Isabel la Negra
Isabel la Negra
Isabel Luberza Oppenheimer , better known as "Isabel la Negra", was a Puerto Rican brothel owner and madam in Ponce, Puerto Rico. Her name and her brothel, Elizabeth's Dancing Club, became part of Puerto Rican folklore both during her life and posthumously...
") the day she was assassinated. He was 83 years old at the time and reportedly hid under a table when Oppenheimer's killers started firing gunshots. Asked what he was doing there, he said: "praying... or at least I was when the bullets started flying!"
His last two birthdays were media events in the town of Isabela. Civic leaders and veterans commended Mercado on his endurance and lucid mind, but the "gift" he would enjoy the most was the visit of Puerto Rican vedette
Vedette
The French military term vedette , also spelled vidette, migrated into English and other languages to refer to a mounted sentry or outpost, who has the function of bringing information, giving signals or warnings of danger, etc., to a main body of troops...
and media icon Iris Chacón
Iris Chacón
Iris Chacón is a dancer, singer, and entertainer. She enjoys great popularity in Puerto Rico and in other Latin American countries, as well as such US locales as New York, Miami, and Los Angeles.-Career:Chacon has been known by various nicknames, such as "La Bomba de Puerto Rico" Iris Chacón...
. In an interview, Mercado claimed to be a great fan of the artist, and particularly of her derrière
Buttocks
The buttocks are two rounded portions of the anatomy, located on the posterior of the pelvic region of apes and humans, and many other bipeds or quadrupeds, and comprise a layer of fat superimposed on the gluteus maximus and gluteus medius muscles. Physiologically, the buttocks enable weight to...
("That rump was something serious!", he was quoted as saying). Chacón visited Mercado, who, although he could barely see or hear by the time of his 114th birthday, was pleased with her visit. His photo touching Chacón's rear end
Buttocks
The buttocks are two rounded portions of the anatomy, located on the posterior of the pelvic region of apes and humans, and many other bipeds or quadrupeds, and comprise a layer of fat superimposed on the gluteus maximus and gluteus medius muscles. Physiologically, the buttocks enable weight to...
, with a big smile on his face, made newspaper headlines in Puerto Rico. She returned the following year to greet him. After hearing news of Mercado's death, Chacón was quoted as saying: "I feel like I've lost my own grandfather. I was blessed for knowing him, knowing that I made him happy, and blessed for the anecdotes and wishes he told me the times I met him. His wisdom is something I learned a lot from. His life is an example of how you're supposed to live your life, happily and doing good, for it will give you longevity and goodwill from everyone."
He was buried at the Municipal Cemetery of his native town of Cabo Rojo, with mayors, legislators and Puerto Rican "vedette" Iris Chacón
Iris Chacón
Iris Chacón is a dancer, singer, and entertainer. She enjoys great popularity in Puerto Rico and in other Latin American countries, as well as such US locales as New York, Miami, and Los Angeles.-Career:Chacon has been known by various nicknames, such as "La Bomba de Puerto Rico" Iris Chacón...
in attendance.
He was the oldest living person at his death, and is the most recent man to hold the title of oldest living person. He became the oldest living person when 116-year-old American supercentenarian Elizabeth Bolden
Elizabeth Bolden
Elizabeth "Lizzie" Bolden was an American supercentenarian woman who, at the time of her death at age 116 years and 118 days, was recognized by Guinness World Records as the then world's oldest living person. She was the last remaining documented person born in 1890. Bolden was the seventh...
died on Monday, December 11, 2006. He is the oldest verified person who died in 2007.
See also
- List of Puerto Ricans
- List of the verified oldest men
- List of the verified oldest people
- LongevityLongevityThe word "longevity" is sometimes used as a synonym for "life expectancy" in demography or known as "long life", especially when it concerns someone or something lasting longer than expected ....
- SupercentenarianSupercentenarianA supercentenarian is someone who has reached the age of 110 years. This age is achieved by about one in a thousand centenarians....
- Veterans of World War I who died in 2007Veterans of World War I who died in 2007The following is a list of known veterans of the First World War who died in 2007.Veteran Emiliano Mercado del Toro of Puerto Rico , who died aged 115, is the oldest authenticated veteran, from any conflict, to have ever lived.-Canada :-France :-Germany :-Italy The following is a list of known...
External links
- Emiliano Mercado and Iris Chacón (photo)
- Mercado photo gallery at Puerto Rican daily newspaper El Nuevo Dia
- Obituary
Emiliano Mercado del Toro (August 21, 1891 – January 24, 2007) was, at age 115, the world's oldest person
Oldest people
This is a list of tables of the verified oldest people in the world in ordinal rank, such as oldest person or oldest man. In these tables, a supercentenarian is considered 'verified' if his or her claim has been validated by an international body that specifically deals in longevity research, such...
for six weeks, and the world's oldest man from November 19, 2004 (death of Fred H. Hale, Sr.
Fred H. Hale, Sr.
Fred Harold Hale, Sr. was an American supercentenarian and the 88th oldest verified person ever. He became the oldest recognized verified living man in the United States following the death of John Ingram McMorran in February 2003 and the oldest living recognized man in the world following the...
) until his own death on January 24, 2007. He is the oldest verified military veteran ever. Having died at age 115 years 156 days, Mercado is the second oldest fully validated male ever, 96 days behind Danish
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
-American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Christian Mortensen
Christian Mortensen
Thomas Peter Thorvald Kristian Ferdinand Mortensen , known as an adult as Christian Mortensen, was a Danish supercentenarian. At the time of his death he was 115 years and 252 days old—the longest fully authenticated lifespan of any male in history...
's record of 115 years 252 days. On 21 August 2006, Mercado became the second fully validated man in history to reach age 115 (almost exactly nine years after Mortensen did so in August 1997). He also holds the distinction as being the oldest man to have lived in three different centuries (although the oldest person of either gender to live in three centuries was Maria Capovilla
María Capovilla
María Esther Heredia de Capovilla was an Ecuadorian supercentenarian, and, at the time of her death at age 116 years 347 days, was recognized by Guinness World Records as the world's oldest living person. She was the last remaining person born in the 1880s...
of Ecuador
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
). Del Toro was the last living documented person born in 1891.
He officially became the oldest documented living person on December 11, 2006, following the death of 116-year-old Elizabeth Bolden
Elizabeth Bolden
Elizabeth "Lizzie" Bolden was an American supercentenarian woman who, at the time of her death at age 116 years and 118 days, was recognized by Guinness World Records as the then world's oldest living person. She was the last remaining documented person born in 1890. Bolden was the seventh...
. He was the 34th person to hold this title since its inception, and the most recent man to do so.
Biography
Emiliano (known to his family as "Emilio") was born in Cabo Rojo, Puerto RicoCabo Rojo, Puerto Rico
Cabo Rojo is a municipality situated on the southwest coast of Puerto Rico and forms part of the San Germán–Cabo Rojo metropolitan area as well as the larger Mayagüez–San Germán–Cabo Rojo Combined Statistical Area....
, the son of Delfin Mercado and Gumercinda del Toro. Emiliano worked in the cane fields until the age of 81. He never married and never had children, but said he had three "girlfriends" (love interests) in his life.
Accolades
Mercado first came to the attention of longevity researchers in 2001, when a story ran about a 110-year-old veteran in a parade in Puerto Rico. After that, researchers tried to track him down, but only after the November 2004 death of Fred H. Hale, Sr.Fred H. Hale, Sr.
Fred Harold Hale, Sr. was an American supercentenarian and the 88th oldest verified person ever. He became the oldest recognized verified living man in the United States following the death of John Ingram McMorran in February 2003 and the oldest living recognized man in the world following the...
did someone finally start sending in documents. Following Fred's passing, Emiliano apparently became the oldest man in the world, with documents supplied so far including a birth certificate, baptismal certificate, 1910 census record and veteran ID card. By January 2005, Guinness had accepted Emiliano as the "oldest living man whose age could be fully authenticated".
He was one of the few males to hold the title of oldest living person (the 16 preceding title holders, as well as 39 of the top 40 oldest persons living at the time of his death, were all female) and is currently the most recent to do so (all subsequent title holders have been female). Mercado was four years older at the time than his successor as oldest living man, Tomoji Tanabe from Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. The last male to have held the title was the latter's countryman Shigechiyo Izumi
Shigechiyo Izumi
was a Japanese centenarian who was titled the oldest living person after the death of Niwa Kawamoto, also from Japan. His case was first verfied by Guinness World Records, who titled him the oldest person ever, but Guinness have in recent years backed from their previous statement; in the Guinness...
in 1986, although his longevity
Longevity
The word "longevity" is sometimes used as a synonym for "life expectancy" in demography or known as "long life", especially when it concerns someone or something lasting longer than expected ....
is disputed.
In addition, as a veteran of the First World War
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, he broke the record for longest-lived veteran of any military force that was set by Antonio Todde
Antonio Todde
Antonio Todde He was the oldest man in the world from the death of American John Painter until Todde's own death on January 3, 2002, at age 112 years, 346 days...
, albeit as a non-combat veteran (Mercado was still in training camp when the November 11, 1918 armistice
Armistice with Germany (Compiègne)
The armistice between the Allies and Germany was an agreement that ended the fighting in the First World War. It was signed in a railway carriage in Compiègne Forest on 11 November 1918 and marked a victory for the Allies and a complete defeat for Germany, although not technically a surrender...
was declared).
In 1993, he was honored by U.S. President Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
with the medal commemorating the 75th anniversary of the signing of the truce that ended World War I. Mercado del Toro, the elder of two siblings, had to move from his familiar Cabo Rojo grounds due to a fall he had in his home when he was 102, which affected his hipbone. His 85 year-old niece took him to live with his relatives, and he was well taken care of by nieces and nephews - and their families, who called him "Tío Millo" ("Uncle Millo")- at their home in Isabela
Isabela, Puerto Rico
Isabela is a municipality of Puerto Rico located in the north-western region of the island, north of San Sebastián; west of Quebradillas; and east of Aguadilla and Moca. Isabela is spread over 13 wards and Isabela Pueblo...
.
Later life
Mercado could reminisce about being a child when U.S. troops invaded Puerto RicoSpanish-American War
The Spanish–American War was a conflict in 1898 between Spain and the United States, effectively the result of American intervention in the ongoing Cuban War of Independence...
in 1898, and he clearly remembered the fighting that marked the end of Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
's colonial empire in the Americas
Americas
The Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...
. He credited his longevity to funche, a boiled corn
Maize
Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
, cod
Cod
Cod is the common name for genus Gadus, belonging to the family Gadidae, and is also used in the common name for various other fishes. Cod is a popular food with a mild flavor, low fat content and a dense, flaky white flesh. Cod livers are processed to make cod liver oil, an important source of...
fish and milk
Milk
Milk is a white liquid produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals before they are able to digest other types of food. Early-lactation milk contains colostrum, which carries the mother's antibodies to the baby and can reduce the risk of many...
cream-like dish, which he ate every day as a habit.
Mercado also claimed that his sense of humor was probably responsible for his long life, and he would tell jokes and humorous anecdotes almost to the end of his days. He would not elaborate on details of his love life, but would humorously hint about them: in one of the many interviews he gave to Puerto Rican media, Mercado claimed to have been at the "dancing club" (a euphemism for a bordello
Brothel
Brothels are business establishments where patrons can engage in sexual activities with prostitutes. Brothels are known under a variety of names, including bordello, cathouse, knocking shop, whorehouse, strumpet house, sporting house, house of ill repute, house of prostitution, and bawdy house...
) owned by Isabel Luberza Oppenheimer
Isabel la Negra
Isabel Luberza Oppenheimer , better known as "Isabel la Negra", was a Puerto Rican brothel owner and madam in Ponce, Puerto Rico. Her name and her brothel, Elizabeth's Dancing Club, became part of Puerto Rican folklore both during her life and posthumously...
(better known as "Isabel la Negra
Isabel la Negra
Isabel Luberza Oppenheimer , better known as "Isabel la Negra", was a Puerto Rican brothel owner and madam in Ponce, Puerto Rico. Her name and her brothel, Elizabeth's Dancing Club, became part of Puerto Rican folklore both during her life and posthumously...
") the day she was assassinated. He was 83 years old at the time and reportedly hid under a table when Oppenheimer's killers started firing gunshots. Asked what he was doing there, he said: "praying... or at least I was when the bullets started flying!"
His last two birthdays were media events in the town of Isabela. Civic leaders and veterans commended Mercado on his endurance and lucid mind, but the "gift" he would enjoy the most was the visit of Puerto Rican vedette
Vedette
The French military term vedette , also spelled vidette, migrated into English and other languages to refer to a mounted sentry or outpost, who has the function of bringing information, giving signals or warnings of danger, etc., to a main body of troops...
and media icon Iris Chacón
Iris Chacón
Iris Chacón is a dancer, singer, and entertainer. She enjoys great popularity in Puerto Rico and in other Latin American countries, as well as such US locales as New York, Miami, and Los Angeles.-Career:Chacon has been known by various nicknames, such as "La Bomba de Puerto Rico" Iris Chacón...
. In an interview, Mercado claimed to be a great fan of the artist, and particularly of her derrière
Buttocks
The buttocks are two rounded portions of the anatomy, located on the posterior of the pelvic region of apes and humans, and many other bipeds or quadrupeds, and comprise a layer of fat superimposed on the gluteus maximus and gluteus medius muscles. Physiologically, the buttocks enable weight to...
("That rump was something serious!", he was quoted as saying). Chacón visited Mercado, who, although he could barely see or hear by the time of his 114th birthday, was pleased with her visit. His photo touching Chacón's rear end
Buttocks
The buttocks are two rounded portions of the anatomy, located on the posterior of the pelvic region of apes and humans, and many other bipeds or quadrupeds, and comprise a layer of fat superimposed on the gluteus maximus and gluteus medius muscles. Physiologically, the buttocks enable weight to...
, with a big smile on his face, made newspaper headlines in Puerto Rico. She returned the following year to greet him. After hearing news of Mercado's death, Chacón was quoted as saying: "I feel like I've lost my own grandfather. I was blessed for knowing him, knowing that I made him happy, and blessed for the anecdotes and wishes he told me the times I met him. His wisdom is something I learned a lot from. His life is an example of how you're supposed to live your life, happily and doing good, for it will give you longevity and goodwill from everyone."
He was buried at the Municipal Cemetery of his native town of Cabo Rojo, with mayors, legislators and Puerto Rican "vedette" Iris Chacón
Iris Chacón
Iris Chacón is a dancer, singer, and entertainer. She enjoys great popularity in Puerto Rico and in other Latin American countries, as well as such US locales as New York, Miami, and Los Angeles.-Career:Chacon has been known by various nicknames, such as "La Bomba de Puerto Rico" Iris Chacón...
in attendance.
He was the oldest living person at his death, and is the most recent man to hold the title of oldest living person. He became the oldest living person when 116-year-old American supercentenarian Elizabeth Bolden
Elizabeth Bolden
Elizabeth "Lizzie" Bolden was an American supercentenarian woman who, at the time of her death at age 116 years and 118 days, was recognized by Guinness World Records as the then world's oldest living person. She was the last remaining documented person born in 1890. Bolden was the seventh...
died on Monday, December 11, 2006. He is the oldest verified person who died in 2007.
See also
- List of Puerto Ricans
- List of the verified oldest men
- List of the verified oldest people
- LongevityLongevityThe word "longevity" is sometimes used as a synonym for "life expectancy" in demography or known as "long life", especially when it concerns someone or something lasting longer than expected ....
- SupercentenarianSupercentenarianA supercentenarian is someone who has reached the age of 110 years. This age is achieved by about one in a thousand centenarians....
- Veterans of World War I who died in 2007Veterans of World War I who died in 2007The following is a list of known veterans of the First World War who died in 2007.Veteran Emiliano Mercado del Toro of Puerto Rico , who died aged 115, is the oldest authenticated veteran, from any conflict, to have ever lived.-Canada :-France :-Germany :-Italy The following is a list of known...