December 31, 1603 Earthquake: Oaxaca, Mixteca, Mexico
An earthquake struck Oaxaca, Mixteca, Mexico on December 31, 1603.
Map
Where it struck, with the other significant earthquakes within 200 km. Circles are sized and colored by magnitude; select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Date
- December 31, 1603
- Place
- Oaxaca, Mixteca, Mexico
- Intensity
- 7 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 18.000° N, 92.500° W
- Country
- Mexico
The toll
- Damage
- Severe (about $5 to $25 million)
- Houses destroyed
- Many (101 to 1,000)
Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
1603, Destructive: Oaxaca and all Mixteca. (reference #1195)
1603, Mexico (Oaxaca), especially Mixteca, intensity III which corresponds to an earthquake which destroyed towns and devastated districts. (reference #1055)
1603, December 31. It damaged the Dominican convent of San Pablo and its church; it also caused havoc to the college and temple of the Society of Jesus. It destroyed many houses, temples and convents in the Mixteca. (reference #13024)
1603, December 31, Oaxaca and Mixteca.
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
More
Significant earthquakes of 1603The 1600sRecent earthquakes near hereThis day in weather history
Sources
Significant earthquakes from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Hazard Database, cited as NCEI/WDS, doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Public domain. Read 2026-09-24. NCEI earthquake 820.