April 21, 1776 Earthquake: Guerrero, Morelos, Oaxaca, Mexico City
An earthquake struck Guerrero, Morelos, Oaxaca, Mexico City on April 21, 1776.
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
- April 21, 1776
- Place
- Guerrero, Morelos, Oaxaca, Mexico City
- Intensity
- 8 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 16.700° N, 99.200° W
- Country
- Mexico
The toll
- Damage
- Severe (about $5 to $25 million)
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.
Very strong earthquakes in 1697, 1754, 1776, 1785, 1907 15 of April destructive in San Marcos, Gros., magnitude 7.8 Intense in March and April 1908. (reference #1234)
1776 April 21 Destructive in Guerrero, Morelos, Oaxaca, and Mexico. (reference #1195)
1776 April 21 to May 12. Mexico, S. and W. to Acapulco (reference #1055)
1776 April 21. In Mexico City, the Acordada jail fell, which was already damaged, and damaged other important buildings such as the cathedral of Mexico, the Tribunal and the Mint. In Acapulco, the earthquake strongly affected the first parish temple of San Francisco and destroyed the fort of San Diego, which was rebuilt in its current pentagonal plan as a result of this earthquake. Interpretation by the Institute of Geophysics:
Strong subduction earthquake from Acapulco to the Costa Chica of Guerrero. Effects suggest a magnitude Mw > 7.5. (reference #10324)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- October 24, 1980, S, Huajapan DE Leon, Oaxaca, Mexico
- July 28, 1957, Acapulco,mexico City
- October 3, 1864, Puebla,veracruz,acultzingo,acatzingo, Mexico
- August 2, 1968, Oaxaca, Guerrero, Mexico
- February 16, 2018, Oaxaca, Mexico
- March 28, 1787, San Marcos, Oaxaca, Mexico
- June 7, 1982, Guererro, Orziba, Oaxaca, Guadalupe, Mexico
- April 15, 1907, Guerrero, Mexico
- July 19, 1882, Puebla,huahuapan,huamuxtitlan,xalpatlahuac, Mexico
- May 11, 1962, Southern Mexico
- December 23, 1937, Ometepec, Guerrero, Mexico
- May 5, 1854, Veracruz,oaxaca, Mexico
- April 25, 1989, Mexico City, Acapulco
- May 19, 1962, Southern Mexico
- September 14, 1995, Guerrero, Oaxaca, Puebla, Mexico City
More
Significant earthquakes of 1776The 1700sRecent 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 1426.