May 11, 1870 Earthquake: Oaxaca,zanaguia,san Francisco Ozolotepec, Mexico
A magnitude 7.9 earthquake struck Oaxaca,zanaguia,san Francisco Ozolotepec, Mexico on May 11, 1870. It killed 24 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 11, 1870
- Place
- Oaxaca,zanaguia,san Francisco Ozolotepec, Mexico
- Magnitude
- 7.9 (Ms)
- Tsunami
- Yes: the tsunami it caused
- Epicenter
- 15.400° N, 96.300° W
- Country
- Mexico
The toll
- Deaths
- 24
- Injuries
- 20
- 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.
May 11,1870, 15.8 N, 96.7 W. An earthquake of magnitude Ms=7.9 occurred at 23:30 local time in Oaxaca. The earthquake was oscillatory from South to North and was accompanied with a strong underground noise. It was tremulous for 10 seconds, making the stones jump over the ground, and collapsing many buildings. Miahuatlan and Pochutla were destroyed. The earthquake caused large fissures in the field and landslides in the hills. It was
felt in Puebla, Tlaxcala, Veracruz and Mexico City, where it lasted 10 seconds. At Puerto Angel it was reported that "the sea water and the sand of the beach were boiling". (reference #369)
May 11, 1870. Destructive: Oaxada in Zanaguia, 3 deaths, 20 injuries, San Francisco Ozolotepec, 15 deaths; Pochutla, 7 or 8 inch cracks. Coyutla, Zapotengo and Tonameca, boiling water; San Pedroa El Alto, 3 deaths; San Agustin Loxicha, 1 death; Sierra de Juquila, 1 death; Ejutla, 1 death (total 24 deaths): repeated 80 times that included several regions of the country. (reference #1195)
May 11, 12, 1870. Mexico, Vera Cruz, Puebla, Mexico, Oaxaca, Ejuila and south to Talasco, intensity III which corresponds to an earthquake which destroyed towns and devastated districts. (reference #1055)
May 11, 1870. Oaxaca intensity III. (reference #1908).
May 11, 1870. Earthquake in Mexico. (reference #1234)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- September 30, 1999, Oaxaca, Mexico
- August 2, 1968, Oaxaca, Guerrero, Mexico
- June 23, 2020, Oaxaca, Mexico
- November 29, 1978, Oaxaca, Mexico
- October 5, 1801, Oaxaca, Mexico
- August 23, 1965, Mexico City, Oaxaca
- September 23, 2017, Oaxaca, Mexico
- June 17, 1928, Oaxaca, Mexico
- May 5, 1854, Veracruz,oaxaca, Mexico
- July 9, 1951, Miahiatlan, Oaxaca, Mexico
- June 30, 2010, San Andres Huaxpaltepec, Mexico
- March 22, 1928, Oaxaca, Mexico
- February 3, 1998, Oaxaca, San Agustin, San Francisco, Mexico
- April 3, 1787, San Marcos, Oaxaca, Mexico
- December 29, 1917, Near Oaxaca Coast, Mexico
More
Significant earthquakes of 1870The 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 2169.