May 31, 1818 Tsunami: Central Mexico
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 8.2 earthquake began at Central Mexico on May 31, 1818. The water rose as high as 13.9 meters. Its effects were recorded at 2 places. It killed 2,000 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
- May 31, 1818
- Source
- Central Mexico
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 8.2
- Maximum water height
- 13.9 m (45.6 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 2
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Probable tsunami
- Source location
- 19.100° N, 103.940° W
The toll
- Deaths
- 2,000 with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Damage
- Severe (about $5 to $25 million) with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Houses destroyed
- Many (101 to 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.
Juan Linares (AGN, 1818) wrote “At the saltworks in Cuyutlan the sea rose above sea level about 10 pasos” (13.9 m). “The ground opened in many places throwing sand…,” that is, likely liquefaction, and “the salt beds were buried.” In Coahuayana only a small tsunami was reported. [A] tsunami was triggered by a magnitude M 8.2 earthquake. […] we inferred a wave height of about 13 m in Cuyutlan that decreased southward, and the area affected was restricted to the Colima coast. The 1816 and 1818 events occurred in the middle of the Independence War, and this might explain the relative scarcity of information. (reference #13627)
Reference #13234 writes that Oseguera said that in Cuyutlan, the ground opened up in many parts, and water shooting out and then closed again. Reference #13024 provides similar accounts.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cuyutlan | Mexico | 24 | 13.9 | Eyewitness observation of water height | |||
| Coahuayana (River Mouth) | Mexico | 50 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1818The 1800sTsunamis of MexicoThe 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 2026-09-24. NCEI tsunami event 5894.