Tenerife's Julio López, 104, Stays Active and Sharp

Julio López, from Tenerife, is 104 years old, but he won't share his secret to a long life. His four children, however, offer some hints: "It's his surroundings, the small glass of wine he has at lunch, and his personality – if he were mayor, he'd fix the world."

Julio, who lives in La Laguna, gets annoyed if his family answers for him. He was born, grew up, and still lives in Guamasa, where everyone knows him as "Julio the taxi driver" because he was the first person there to drive a taxi.

He's not just over a century old; in less than five months, on March 19th, he'll celebrate his 105th birthday, which is also Father's Day. He doesn't seem to feel his age. Every morning, he wakes up and exercises by touching his toes and stretching his legs before showering by himself. "How else would I walk? If I get up and get stiff, life ends for me," he says from his porch chair, where he greets passing neighbors.

He spends most of his day on the porch with his dog, Viva. He also walks around the area with his walker and occasionally visits his cellar and chickens. His only concern is the fear of falling. At precisely 1:00 PM, he gets up to eat "whatever is put in front of him." He enjoys all kinds of food, from steak to rabbit, but admits that sometimes "there's no money to eat what one fancies." He says this happened more often in the past, when people had to work to eat. "Before, life was nothing but work, pick and shovel," he recalls.

His real name is José Jorge López, but everyone has called him Julio since he was a child. He avoided fighting in the Civil War because he was too young and because three of his sixteen siblings were already called up, so he had to stay home.

In his youth, he worked in construction, helping to build several roads on the island, like the one in Boquerón (Valle de Guerra). Later, he sold his bicycle to buy a ticket to Venezuela, like many others who emigrated. There, he saved money to return and buy a taxi. "Everyone called him for weddings, emergencies, or to take women in labor to the hospital," remembers Emiliano López, one of his four children.

Emiliano and his siblings – Carmen, Juan José, and Francisco – all agree that their father gave them a good life. "It saved us that he went to Venezuela; we were the first in the area to have a television and we seemed the richest because on Fridays he would bring us sweet pastries from my mother's shop. As long as he's still here bothering us, we're all happy because that means we're enjoying him," say his children, all over 70 years old. His parents and siblings have passed away, but his family includes fourteen grandchildren and fourteen great-grandchildren. Interestingly, there's a century between Julio, the oldest in the López family, and his two youngest great-granddaughters, who are 4-year-old twins.

To reach 104 years old, and to be healthy at that age, it's important to have hobbies. Julio enjoys watching Western movies, listening to ranchera music, and singing traditional Canarian folk songs called folías. He had a driver's license until recently, driving around the area even at 100 years old, and he still votes in every election. He still plays the guitar, and less than two months ago, he even attended a concert by his son's band. "On his birthday, a group came, and he was singing songs we didn't even remember. He runs circles around us; mentally, he's much better than we are," his daughter says.

However, Julio notes that a part of him left when his wife passed away. He still fondly remembers their life together, especially the small ball of gofio (a traditional Canarian flour) with a bit of sugar she used to make for him to take to work. Now, surrounded by his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, he lives a peaceful – though perhaps busy for his age – life, which he hopes to continue for at least ten more years.