A woman from León is challenging Carme Noguera from Catalonia for the most prestigious title for women in Spain.

BarcelonaHe died just ten days ago at 112 years old the Catalan Angelina TorresTeresa Fernández Casado, who until then was the oldest person in the country, was then officially named the oldest citizen in Spain. However, it now appears that this title could belong to someone else: a woman from León, born in 1913, claims to be the oldest woman in the country and intends to prove it by showing her ID card. The family of Teresa Fernández Casado maintains that she is 112 years old and regrets that the distinction of oldest person in the country was awarded to her. Carme Noguerawho would be a year younger than the woman from León. "My mother is the oldest person in Spain; no one else still alive was born in 1913," declares Manuela de Paz, her daughter, in an interview with EFE. She asserts that the family is unhappy because the organization Longeviquest—the ranking that validates older people globally—has confirmed that Noguera is the oldest person in the country without anyone contacting her mother to verify that the title rightfully belongs to her. Teresa Fernández Casado was born on July 29, 1913, and is a native of the village of Zambroncinos del Páramo, in León. Her daughter says that she is a woman deeply rooted in her land and has never had any interest in leaving her village: "My mother still lives in the same house where she was born," says Manuela de Paz. In fact, she is quite a personality in Zambroncinos del Páramo, where she has served as a living memory of the events of the last century. "The neighbors have always come to ask her about things, dates, or events that happened in Zambroncinos," her daughter says.

As for Noguera, she is a legend of nursing in Catalonia: she is the last surviving member of the first graduating class of Catalan nurses. In an interview with ARA, Noguera explained that she worked at the Hospital Clínic during the outbreak of the Civil War and dedicated herself to caring for the civilians and soldiers who arrived at the hospital's emergency room. In fact, she is also the oldest living person who has worked at the Clínic.

More centenarians than ever

Spain is one of the "oldest" countries, boasting one of the highest life expectancies in the world. According to the latest data, from 2024, the number of centenarians reached a record high of 16,000 people aged 100 or older across the country. In Catalonia, this peak is reflected in a total of 3,000 centenarians, a trend that continues to rise, as the number doubles every 10 years. In both Catalan and national data, women tend to live longer, representing 80% of centenarians.