Ana Pastora Castro Bedoya was born in the village of Pontezuela near Rionegro, Antioquia Department, Colombia, on 11 May 1908. Her parents were Jesús María Castro and Salomé Bedoya. She had six siblings.

At some point, she married Luis Angel Rios, with whom she had nine children: Alfredo, Lucas, Eduardo, Hernán, Otilia, Edelmira, Octavio, Gabelo and Jesús Adán. Before getting married, she used to ride horses with her fiancé to the nearby town of La Ceja. She enjoyed drinking the traditional Colombian beverage “Aguardiente” and claimed that her secret for longevity was always washing her face with cold water rather than warm. She was a devout Catholic.

On her 110th birthday in 2018, only her two daughters, Edelmira and Otilia, were still alive. She celebrated her birthday with a small mass at her house. Her daughter claimed that she lived a long life because she was always very welcoming to everyone, offering “aguapanela” to every person who passed near her house. At the time, she also had 33 grandchildren, 56 great-grandchildren and 10 great-great-grandchildren.

Ana Pastora Castro Bedoya passed away in Rionegro, Antioquia Department, Colombia, on 30 May 2018, at the age of 110 years, 19 days.