National Geographic News, Reporting Your World Daily

Sunday, September 7, 2008

Photo: Long-Lived Costa Ricans Offer Secrets to Reaching 100


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Abuela Panchita, 102, is partially blind and deaf, but she still cooks meals on a wood-burning stove, as seen here in 2006.

Explorer and author Dan Buettner discovered a community of long-lived Costa Ricans, including Panchita, during one of his quests to find the world's longevity hot spots.

Buettner has found that a sense of purpose, faith, and family investment are all threads that connect centenarians.

Photograph courtesy Gianluca Colla