María Esther de Capovilla
María Esther de Capovilla at age 115 in 2005
Born	(1889-09-14)September 14, 1889 Guayaquil, Ecuador
Died	(2006-08-27)August 27, 2006 aged 116 years 347 days Guayaquil, Ecuador

María Esther de Capovilla (September 14, 1889 – August 27, 2006) was an Ecuadorian supercentenarian. She was the world's oldest living person^{[broken anchor]} between May 29, 2004, aged 114 years 258 days, and her death from pneumonia on August 27, 2006, aged 116 years 347 days. Following Capovilla's death, Elizabeth Bolden became the world's oldest person.^[1]

She was the last living person who was born in the 1880s^[2] and also she is still all-time record-holder of the oldest person who was born in Ecuador and the oldest person who was died in Ecuador. She remained the oldest validated South American and Latin American person ever until Francisca Celsa dos Santos of Brazil surpassed her age in October 2021 one day before her death who's final age was 116 years 349 days.

On 10 February 2004, Capovilla surpassed Australian Christina Cock to become the oldest person ever from the Southern Hemisphere. Capovilla was named the World's Oldest Person by Guinness World Records on 9 December 2005, thus superseding both Hendrikje van Andel-Schipper of the Netherlands thought to be the world's oldest person from 29 May 2004 to 30 August 2005, when she died, and Elizabeth Bolden of the United States, thought to be the world's oldest person from 30 August 2005 to 9 December 2005.