June 3, 1773 Tsunami: Guatemala-Nicaragua
A tsunami caused by an earthquake began at Guatemala-Nicaragua on June 3, 1773. Its effects were recorded at 2 places. It killed 600 people, counting the earthquake or eruption that caused it.
Where the waves reached
The source (white) and every runup with a place, colored by the water height recorded there. A ring is a runup NCEI marks doubtful.
- Under 1 m
- 1 to 3 m
- 3 to 10 m
- 10 to 30 m
- 30 m and more
- Height not recorded
The tsunami
- Date
- June 3, 1773
- Source
- Guatemala-Nicaragua
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- The earthquake
- Runups recorded
- 2
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Erroneous entry
- Source location
- 14.600° N, 90.700° W
The toll
- Deaths
- 600 with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Damage
- Extreme (about $25 million or more) with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Houses destroyed
- Very many (over 1,000) with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
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.
June 3, 1773. The capital of Guatemala, situated in the same place where Antigua is now located, experienced terrible earthquakes ten times between 1565 and 1773. The sea encroached inland on June 3, 1773.
Two volcanoes near the city appeared to boil. Flows of hot water issued from one and flows of burning hot lava issued from the other. Cracks and gaps formed everywhere on the surface. The ground was in continuous motion.
This terrible state lasted five days. Finally, on the 7th, a chasm opened up and almost the entire city disappeared together with 5000 families (Berghaus, 1844, ref #4116).
These data, including those about the flood, are doubtful. Essentially, as is directly stated in Mallet's catalogue (1854, ref #496), the matter concerns the issue of water from a caldron lake. Putte's (1924, ref #4117) book about seismic events gives the following account. In 1773, the capital of Guatemala was completely destroyed by a series of earthquakes, the first of which occurred on June 10. On July 29, a "fatal" earthquake completed the destruction of the city. One hundred and twenty persons were killed and 300 injured, even though the population lived in tents because of the continual shocks. The shocks continued for several more months, since the church and the monastery, which remained standing, although greatly damaged on July 29, finally collapsed only on December 13. The pleistoseismic zone was apparently very limited, since the residents who fled from the capital settled at the settlements of San Lucas [14 km west of Guatemala], Micsco [8 km west of Guatemala], Amatitlan, Petapa [15 km south of Guatemala], Pinula [eastern suburb of Guatemala], Tecpan, Escuintla, Villa Nueva [13 km south west of Guatemala], and Chimaltenango [35 km west of Guatemala], which were very close to the former capital. (reference #415)
There are unconfirmed versions of a tidal wave in Iztapa in 1773 (reference #14062) [Note: tsunami may reference the reported event of 1717]
Reference #14362 cites a report of flooding along with an earthquake.
Every runup
Nearest the source first. Heights are above sea level at the time; a tide gauge reads half the wave’s full height.
| Where | Country | Km from source | Water height, m | Inland, m | Measured by | First wave, UTC | Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Antigua doubtful | Guatemala | 6 | Eyewitness observation of water height | ||||
| Iztapa | Guatemala | 74 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1773The 1700sTsunamis of GuatemalaThe earthquakeThis day in weather historyAlerts in force
Sources
Tsunami events and runups from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Hazard Database, cited as NCEI/WDS, doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Public domain. Read 2026-10-01. NCEI tsunami event 507.