March 16, 1791 Earthquake: San Marcos, Guatemala
An earthquake struck San Marcos, Guatemala on March 16, 1791.
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
- March 16, 1791
- Place
- San Marcos, Guatemala
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 14.600° N, 91.500° W
- Country
- Guatemala
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.
1791. Severe damage in the city of San Marcos. (reference #1107)
1797. March 16, tremors cause damage in the villages of San Cristóbal Cucho, San Pedro and San Marcos Sacatepéquez, San Antonio Sacatepequez. March 16, San Heriberto earthquake. Witness reports and site surveys indicate moderate to severe damage to the Class C construction (MM-56), especially in the area of San Pedro Sacatepequez and the San Marcos neighbourhood, where cracks can be seen in the ground. (reference #14059) [note: translation from original Spanish supported by AI tools]
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- December 26, 1917, Guatemala City
- April 19, 1902, Quezaltenango, San Marcos, Guatemala
- June 3, 1773, St. Jago, Guatemala
- September 3, 1874, Antigua,chimaltenango,amatitlan, Guatemala
- July 29, 1773, Antigua, Guatemala
- November 7, 2012, San Marcos, San Cristobal Cochu, Guatemala
- September 18, 1991, Guatemala City, Pachuta, Solola
- July 22, 1816, Soloma, Guatemala
- September 25, 1968, S Chiapas, Mexico-Guatemala
- July 29, 1978, Patzun, Guatemala
- July 8, 2025, Guatemala City, Escuintla, Sacatepequez
- June 14, 2017, Quetzaltenango, Suchitepequez, Mexico, Guatemala
- November 3, 1988, S Palin, San Vicente Pacaya, Guatemala
- March 13, 1976, Guatemala
- July 7, 2014, San Marcos, Mexico, Guatemala
More
Significant earthquakes of 1791The 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 1506.