March 27, 1872 Earthquake: Oaxaca,mexico City
A magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck Oaxaca,mexico City on March 27, 1872.
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 27, 1872
- Place
- Oaxaca,mexico City
- Magnitude
- 7.4 (Ms)
- Intensity
- 7 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 16.400° N, 96.570° W
- Country
- Mexico
The toll
- Damage
- Severe (about $5 to $25 million)
- Houses damaged
- Some (about 51 to 100)
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.
1872 March 27. Destructive in Oaxaca and Mexico D.F., felt in Puebla (the same day an eruption of Colima Volcano). (reference #1195)
1872 March 27. Mexico, Oaxaca, Puebla, Tlaxcala, Vera Cruz (reference #1055)
1872 March 27. In Mexico City, some aqueducts and pipes were damaged and some houses were damaged. In Oaxaca, Oax. many houses fell to the ground and others were damaged. The Government Palace was damaged and the Cathedral suffered many cracks. In Oaxaca there was damage throughout the area. The greatest damage was observed in Pochutla, Oaxaca, where it is reported that many churches lost their towers and vaults. In Mexico City, a gushing well spewed gaseous water during the quake. (referencee #13024)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- 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
- June 23, 2020, Oaxaca, Mexico
- November 29, 1978, Oaxaca, Mexico
- June 7, 1982, Guererro, Orziba, Oaxaca, Guadalupe, 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
- December 23, 1937, Ometepec, Guerrero, Mexico
- March 20, 2012, Guerrero, Oaxaca, Mexico
- July 9, 1951, Miahiatlan, Oaxaca, Mexico
More
Significant earthquakes of 1872The 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 2196.