May 5, 1854 Earthquake: Veracruz,oaxaca, Mexico
A magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck Veracruz,oaxaca, Mexico on May 5, 1854. It killed 4 people.
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
- May 5, 1854
- Place
- Veracruz,oaxaca, Mexico
- Magnitude
- 7.7 (Ms)
- Intensity
- 9 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 16.350° N, 97.700° W
- Country
- Mexico
The toll
- Deaths
- 4
- Damage
- Severe (about $5 to $25 million)
- Houses damaged
- 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.
1854 May 05, destructive in Veracruz and Oaxaca (reference #1195)
1854 May 05. Mexico, Cordoba in Vera Cruz, Acapulco, Oaxaca, Puebla (reference #1055)
1854 May 05. There were many bursts in the main pipes of Mexico City. The aqueduct that carried water to Mexico City through the S. Cosme area suffered notable damage. In Cordoba, Veracruz, the parish church and most of the houses were badly damaged. In Jamiltepec, Oaxaca, it caused several landslides and subsidence in the neighboring hills and mountains. In Jamiltepec, as well as in Huexolotitlan, Pinotepa and Juquila, Oaxaca, it damaged temples and buildings. In Chacoman, Ver. it knocked down the cross of the church tower and in Cordoba it left the lantern of the parish tower very damaged. In Jamiltepec, Oax., deformations of the terrain and displacement of huge rocks are reported. It had a strong aftershock on May 9. (reference #13024)
Reference #1324 lists 1 woman and 2 children killed in Oaxaca due to house collapse; 1 worked killed in Mexico D.F.
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- July 28, 1957, Acapulco,mexico City
- September 30, 1999, Oaxaca, Mexico
- May 11, 1870, Oaxaca,zanaguia,san Francisco Ozolotepec, Mexico
- August 2, 1968, Oaxaca, Guerrero, Mexico
- February 16, 2018, Oaxaca, Mexico
- March 28, 1787, San Marcos, Oaxaca, Mexico
- June 23, 2020, Oaxaca, Mexico
- June 7, 1982, Guererro, Orziba, Oaxaca, Guadalupe, Mexico
- November 29, 1978, Oaxaca, Mexico
- July 19, 1882, Puebla,huahuapan,huamuxtitlan,xalpatlahuac, Mexico
- October 5, 1801, Oaxaca, Mexico
- December 23, 1937, Ometepec, Guerrero, Mexico
- June 17, 1928, Oaxaca, Mexico
- September 14, 1995, Guerrero, Oaxaca, Puebla, Mexico City
- April 25, 1989, Mexico City, Acapulco
More
Significant earthquakes of 1854The 1800sRecent 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 1958.