14 DAY TRIAL // Public records in Bolivia have revealed that there is a man living there who may be holding the title for the oldest person in the world.
Carmelo Flores Laura is 123 years old, and he lives in the village of Aymara. However, he has no birth certificate.
Bolivia didn't start making birth certificates until 1940. Until then, citizens would be identified with a baptism certificate from their nearest Roman Catholic church, which is considered a valid document to this day.
That would make him eight years older that current title holder Misao Okawa of Japan, who is 115 years old.
He lives at high altitude, near Lake Titicaca. According to the AP, he makes a living out of goat herding and he cannot read or write.
Laura was born on July 16, 1890. He is toothless and does not speak Spanish, communicating in the Aymara language. He claims that, although his vision is blurry, he could see reporters coming to interview him.
[Update, August 15 2013]: A previous version of this blog erroneously stated that Carmelo Laura is born in 1980 when in fact it is 1890. Thanks to users for the correction.