The sun., 1903-02-15
AGED 1870 YEARS AND SMOKES
SENORA DE IA BODEGA HAS JUST
HAD 4 BIRTHDAY PARTY.
lives In southern California and Has
Papers 70 Prove Her Ago-A Reuni0n
| f Many Genera tt0ns-Has smoked
for . Century--She Remembers
Only Events I'm Mexican History.

Vbpofo 70 TVONC A8O-N NVtAAOt
/ N Many Gener, tions-Has Smoked
for . Century--she Remember
Only Events I'm Mexican History,
Los ANGELES, Cal, Feb. i0.-There was
Q remarkable birthday party over In the
.eeuestered valley of Coahilla the other
day. Sehora Lugarda de la Bodcga y
Q,iarda had reached her i2lst year.
Undoubtedly she IL one Of the very oldest
persons in the country, and many people
say she is the very oldest person on the
Pacific coast. barring several mission
Indians OF San DNego and San Bernardino
counties In southern California. In the mat
ter Of the preservation Of her faculties she is
also remarkable. .tinety-fve men and
women, blood descei dants Of the wonder
ful old Spanish lady. gathered from far
and near in southern California and Sonora.
Mexico. to participate IN the celebration.
Sef,ora de Ia Bodega has failed rapidly
in health during the last twelve months.
but she still retains her five senses. She
realizes that hers is a wonderful age and
that her life cannot be prolonged many
months more SO. for weeks. she had
looked forward to the promised celebration
Of ber 10th birthday,
For dozen years she has lived with one
Of her many great -grandsons on an old
fashioned hacienda among tho foothills
in Coahills Valley in Riverside county.
Every day as she smoked her pipe out in the
sunshine OF the homo patio. amid the jas
mine and heliotrope. she asked whether
this or that one among her little army OF
descendants was coming TO participate
in her birthday observances.
hor a "A a NJ hnva
numbered iS3 or these 100 are now alive.
Her seven sons and daughters have been
dead twenty FIVE years or more. One Of
her sons lived to be 10 and q daughter passed
her eightieth year. Her husband died in
1899 at the age Of about U
The birthday celebration consisted prin-
cipally OF visiting and feasting among the
many families that are ohshoots from the
Q,iarda parent stock. The aged sehora sat
upon the lawn under the pepper trees, and
looked happy at the scene about her. Her
great great great grand children r0mped
about in the grass at her feet. and her gray
haired grandchil1ren fixed the pillows in
her chair. For few minutes she held her
great-groat-g t-grsat-great grandchild, tiny
i aby. on her lap.
-Four long tables were set up IN the shade
Of q eucalyptus grove. The senors was
carried to tho head Of the main table In her
eaAy chair, and there she sat for an hour
or two. while her descendants ate. drank
vine. smoked, sang songs and made speeches
In Spanish.
In tho afternoon each Of her descendants
passed by her. and kissing her hands or
cheek. wished her the compliments Of the
day and more returns Of the same anniver- |
saTy. Then tho sehora was carried to her |
room to rest from the excitement Of the |
festival.
Sehora de Ia Bodega was born In Guada- |
ajara, Mexico. In her family Spanish |
Bible. . detailed record OF her family since
l7to u given. Her grandchildren recently |
Investigated the musty. yellow baptismal
records in the ancient cathedral at Guada-
ajara, and found that she was baptized
here on Feb IS, 1888.
Many old Mexican people in Southern |
California remember when her eishtieth |
anniversary was celebrated, and many |
more people recall how. when she had |
eachod century. she demonstrated beyond |
iisplte her remarkable physical strength |
~ walking with her great grandson through
valk about her grandsOn's ranch until
eW years ago.
The day sne was lo7 she walked half a
nile TO her great great granddaughter
lome. ate dinner there and rode back at
'arly evening, with but little fatigue Rheu- /
uatism has slowly crippled her since then,
md now she IL seldom out OF doors. She |
. otherwise In excellent physical condition ,
or one Of her extraordinary age.
She attributes her long life 10 an out of, |
ioors e1istenoe. to naturally good consti-
ution, to daily work on a ranch. and 10 |
constant cheerfulness from her earliest
childhood She has been a smoker for |
lbout q century.
She remen npers few days when she has
not smoked Six small pipefus OF Zaca-
ecas tobacco are now her daily porto |
NO in the morning one In the afternoon
md three in the evening. When she was
somewhat younger say fifty years ago
she used to smoke much more. Even
ler Tobacco and her grandson, a man Of |
H. long ago learned that II was a too serious ,
natter to try to deceive his grandinot her
ny palming OF any American brand Of
Obacco for that from the plains of Zaca-
lscas, TO which she has been accusto orned
Tor At least eight decades.
Another reason given for her long years
. the fact that she comes from a long
lived family Her father was born In
Of aesoo IN IN HT and dsd in the
killed in an earthquake In Mexico in 1897,
at the age Of "a. She had a sister who
lived % years. and a brother who was up
ward Of 70 when he died.
The neighboring ranchmen ia Coahila
Valley say 1t Is worth going miles TO sce
Seh ora do la Boiega and the eldest repre-
,ent tative Of each generation Of her progeny
: altered together. The old lady sits at
one end OF a long couch in the homestead.
Next cornes the grandson. lgnacio, white-
haired, wrinkied and bent with age
Next to him In Ignaco's son. Lorenzo.
some fifty odd years old Al his side
its Mrs. Odella Vejar. who is a great
Of the sefl,ra and the eldest
niece OF 1g .iacio
Next in ,lne sits Mrs. vejar's son. Ramon,
strapping, black eyed and brown-skinned
roung man. who holds his infant child
N his knees. There are five generate ions
itting down together circumstance that
nay not he found elsewhere in the Union.
The old lady looks like person o. years
n age. She Is very wrinkled, but has good
leah. Her eyes are remarkably clear,
Ind her hands. while thin and shrivellcd,
'sve none Of the trembling OF very aged
,eople.
She is now very deaf and that worries
'cr, She sleeps twelve hours of the
wenty-four and generally dresses herself
n her simple gowns. No matter how indis.
'osed she may be, she feels II personal
ef1ecti ion III any ono Wapts IN halp foal b.. |