Marcelino Abad Tolentino, a Peruvian farmer believed to be the world's oldest person, has died at the age of 125 years and 300 days, just five days short of his 126th birthday. Known affectionately as Mashico, he passed away peacefully in his sleep at a care home on Monday.
Mashico lived his entire life in a remote village in Peru's Huánuco Province. He was raised as an orphan and endured extreme hardship, living without electricity or running water, relying on a small oil lamp for light. He never married, had no children, and tended his own plot of land by hand, bartering produce with fellow villagers.
He was discovered by the government's Pension 65 programme during the Covid-19 pandemic, when he received his first identity document and a state pension. The pension was paid directly to a nursing home to cover his accommodation, medical care, and meals. Shortly after joining the scheme, he suffered a hip injury that left him dependent on a wheelchair.
Despite being widely considered the oldest man in Peru and possibly the world, Mashico never received official recognition from Guinness World Records due to a lack of birth documentation. Two years ago, the Peruvian government began the registration process, but it was never completed.
According to Guinness World Records, the oldest man ever verified was Juan Vicente Pérez Mora, who died in April 2024 at 114. The current oldest living man is 113-year-old Brazilian João Marinho Neto, while the oldest living person is 116-year-old Ethel Caterham from the UK.
