117-Year-Old Bolivian May Be Oldest in the World

01In a few weeks, Julia Flores Colque will celebrate her 118th birthday.

02She is the oldest woman in Bolivia.

03Following the death of a woman in Japan earlier this year, Flores Colque may now be the oldest person in the world.

04Her national paper, says Flores Colque, was born on October 26, 1900, in the mountains of Bolivia.

05During her long life, Flores Colque has seen two world wars.

06Her home country of Bolivia had a major revolution.

07And the town where she is from, Sacaba, has grown from 3,000 people to 175,000.

08But right now, Flores Colque seems mostly interested in her dogs, cats, and rooster.

09She has not heard of the Guinness Book of World Records, and she does not care if experts confirm she is the oldest person alive.

10She's always been active, easygoing, and fun, says her grandniece, who lives with her in a simple home with a dirt floor.

11Government officials have paid for some improvements to the house, adding a brick path and railings so Flores Colque can walk safely.

12The Sacaba mayor's office calls Flores Colque part of the country's living history.

13On the day a reporter from the Associated Press visited, Flores Colque was playing a small guitar called the Chirango and singing old songs in her native language of Quechua.

14If you would have told me you were coming, I'd have remembered all the songs, she joked.

15Then she dipped her finger into a cake and smiled while she licked the frosting.

16When she was growing up, Flores Colque herded sheep and llamas in the Bolivian highlands.

17Then she moved to a valley where she sold fruits and vegetables.

18Those fruits and vegetables became her main food, and she still eats a healthy diet, except for a piece of cake and a glass of soda sometimes.

19She never married and does not have children.

20Today, the AP reporter says Flores Colque looks like a stone statue.

21She cannot hear very well, but she is alert and scolds her small dog when the animal goes into the road.

22Flores Colque's age would make her interesting anywhere, but it is especially notable in Bolivia.

23The United Nations says the country has one of South America's highest levels of death.

24I'm Jonathan Evans.

25The United Nations says the country's highest level of death.

26The United Nations says the country's highest level of death.

27The United Nations says the country's highest level of death.

28The United Nations says the country's highest level of death.

29The United Nations says the country's highest level of death.

30The United Nations says the country's highest level of death.

31The United Nations says the country's highest level of death.

32The United Nations says the country's highest level of death.

33The United Nations says the country's highest level of death.

34The United Nations says the country's highest level of death.

35The United Nations says the country's highest level of death.