People & Blue Zones · Sardinal de Carrillo, Guanacaste

José Flores Flores Turns a Reported 119 in Sardinal, Costa Rica

José Flores Flores, a retired farmer who lives in Sardinal de Carrillo, Guanacaste, turned 119 on July 11, 2026, according to his Costa Rican identity card and civil records. As of Oct. 30, 2026, no international body, including Guinness World Records, the Gerontology Research Group or LongeviQuest, has publicly validated his age, so he remains a claimant rather than a confirmed record holder.

By Pura-Verde.com Editors · Published October 30, 2026
Original report: The Tico Times: Could Costa Rican Farmer Be the Oldest Person Alive? (2026-07-11)

José Flores Flores marked his 119th birthday on July 11, 2026, in Sardinal de Carrillo, the Guanacaste town where he lives with family on the edge of the Nicoya Peninsula Blue Zone. His Costa Rican identity card and civil records put his birth on July 11, 1907. That makes him, on paper, the oldest man ever documented. But paper and proof aren't the same thing in the world of extreme longevity, and as of today his age hasn't been validated by any international body.

What the records say

The Tico Times reported on July 11 that Costa Rican civil records list his 1907 birth date and that church records support it, including a baptism recorded a few months after his birth. Both that report and a Sept. 18 follow-up give his birthplace as Las Lajas de Cañas, Guanacaste.

Reuters, in a Sept. 9 report, said the Asociación Península de Nicoya Zona Azul holds his birth and baptism certificates plus later documents that show him as a father. Those papers are the core of his case.

Costa Rica has treated him as its oldest living citizen since June 23, 2022, when Berta Cantillano died at 115. In February 2026 he voted in the presidential election at 118, which made him the country's oldest voter.

What is and isn't verified

Here's the honest scorecard as of Oct. 30, 2026:

• Verified nationally: His identity card and the Costa Rican Civil Registry list July 11, 1907, as his birth date. Church records reportedly back it up.
• Not verified by Guinness World Records: The Sept. 18 Tico Times report said the Nicoya association was still preparing his Guinness application, with Jorge Vindas, its president, saying 2 documents were still outstanding. We found no announcement since then that Guinness has accepted or recognized his age.
• Not verified by the Gerontology Research Group (GRG): In July, the Tico Times said the association was compiling records for the GRG with a University of Alicante researcher. Prensa Mercosur named him as gerontology specialist José Antonio Rabadán, who called the case extraordinary. No GRG validation has been announced.
• Not verified by LongeviQuest: We found no LongeviQuest profile or validation of his case.

Wikipedia's longevity claims list, which tracks unvalidated cases, still lists him as a living, unvalidated claimant today.

Why the caution? Validators don't just check a birth certificate. They need a chain of records from different stages of life showing that the baby born in 1907 and the man in Sardinal are the same person. Records from rural Costa Rica more than a century ago can be thin, and families often share names across generations. That's exactly the gap his supporters are working to close.

Why it matters if he's confirmed

Guinness recognizes Japan's Jiroemon Kimura, who died in 2013 at 116 years and 54 days, as the oldest verified man in history. Brazil's João Marinho Neto, born Oct. 5, 1912, is the oldest living man whose age has been validated. By his papers, Flores passed Kimura's mark more than 2 years ago, and in October 2026 his documented age moved past American Sarah Knauss (119 years, 97 days) and Japan's Kane Tanaka (119 years, 107 days). Only France's Jeanne Calment, who died in 1997 at 122 years and 164 days, is verified as having lived longer.

The stakes reach beyond one man. Nicoya is one of 5 recognized Blue Zones worldwide, and its reputation rests on careful demographic work. A well-documented, independently confirmed case would add to that record; a claim that later fell apart wouldn't help it.

A long life, by his family's account

Flores spent most of his working life in agriculture, including plantation work, and lived for more than 50 years in Santa Rosa de Pocosol, San Carlos, before moving to Guanacaste. He has been a widower for 23 years. Reuters reported he had 8 children and now has 23 grandchildren, 25 great-grandchildren and a great-great-granddaughter.

His granddaughter and caregiver, Hellen Flores, told Reuters he now lives "calmly and happily." She credits his simple diet and family care. His family says he still enjoys dominoes in the afternoon, and he has credited God and hard work for his long life.

President Laura Fernández visited him in July and promised him a new home. In late October he received the keys to a furnished house in Sardinal, built through the government's new centenarian program, according to Diario Extra and El Siglo. That program is covered in our story on Nicoya's new centenarian support strategy.

What happens next

The next step is for the Nicoya association to complete and submit the Guinness file, and for a specialist group to review the full chain of documents. Until then, the fair way to describe José Flores Flores is as Costa Rica's oldest documented citizen and a claimant to the title of oldest man ever, not a confirmed record holder. We found no Guinness or GRG decision announced through Oct. 31, 2026.

If you're visiting the peninsula, please don't seek out elders at home. Our guide to community projects in Costa Rica points to respectful ways to support local people instead.

Frequently asked questions

How old is José Flores Flores?

His Costa Rican identity card and civil records say he was born July 11, 1907, in Las Lajas de Cañas, Guanacaste, which made him 119 in July 2026.

Is José Flores Flores the oldest man in the world?

Not officially. As of Oct. 30, 2026, Guinness World Records, the Gerontology Research Group and LongeviQuest hadn't validated his age. Brazil's João Marinho Neto is the oldest living man with a validated age.

Where does José Flores Flores live?

He lives with relatives in Sardinal de Carrillo, Guanacaste, near the Nicoya Peninsula Blue Zone. He was born in Las Lajas de Cañas and lived for decades in Pocosol, San Carlos.

Why hasn't his age been verified yet?

Validators need linked records from across his life proving one continuous identity. His supporters were still gathering the last documents for a Guinness application as of September 2026.

Sources and original reporting

1. The Tico Times: Could Costa Rican Farmer Be the Oldest Person Alive? (2026-07-11)
2. The Tico Times: Video of Costa Rica's 119-Year-Old Man Making a Bid to Be Oldest Ever (2026-09-18)
3. Reuters via KSL: Costa Rican man, 119, seeks recognition as world's oldest person (2026-09-09)
4. The Tico Times: Costa Rica Puts Its Blue Zone Centenarians on the Government Payroll (2026-07-26)
5. Prensa Mercosur: José Flores, el hombre de 119 años que aspira a ingresar al Guinness (2026-08-01)
6. Diario Extra: Así es la nueva casa del hombre más longevo de Costa Rica (October 2026)
7. El Siglo: Tiene 119 años y la presidenta le regaló su primera casa (2026-10-25)
8. Wikipedia: Longevity claims (accessed 2026-10-30)

We wrote this story from the published reports and official sources above. We didn't interview the people named unless the story says so.