The oldest living Dominican: 118-year old Juana Fernandez

Could the rural communities of Santiago province be the Dominican Blue Zone, or area where conditions lead the population to live long lives? Recently the community of Hato del Yaque in Santiago met to honor 118-year old Juana Francisca Fernández, considered the oldest living Dominican. They wanted to celebrate after losing another record-setting Dominican, Jaime Vicente, a farmer who recently died at age 117. The municipality said the gathering sought to recognize the importance of caring for the wellbeing of the aging in the community and to celebrate life.

Doña Juana Francisca has lived for decades in Villa Bay. She was born on 4 April 1901 in Meseta of the Municipio de Janico, Santiago province. She was 29 when would be Dictator Trujillo was first elected in 1930.

She said she has breakfast every morning with a cup of fresh milk from milked cows, Dominican cheese (queso de hoja), and farm-range chickens. One of her grandsons explained: “She is very picky about what she eats. She eats everything natural.”

She has 11 grandchildren and 26 great-grandchildren. She says she is constantly complaining because she is no longer allowed to participate in farm activities as she did all her life.

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El Caribe

8 April 2019