1717 Guatemala earthquake

1717 Guatemala earthquake

Antigua Guatemala
Local date	September 29, 1717 (1717-09-29)
Magnitude	~7.4 Mw
Epicenter	14.57°N 90.73°W / 14.57; -90.73
Areas affected	Guatemala
Max. intensity	MMI IX (Violent)

The 1717 Guatemala earthquake struck colonial Guatemala on September 29 with an estimated moment magnitude of 7.4,[1] and a Mercalli intensity of approximately IX (Violent).[1] The earthquake essentially destroyed much of the architecture of Antigua Guatemala, which was the colonial capital of Central America at the time. Over 3,000 buildings were ruined including many temples and churches. Such was the effect of the disaster that the authorities considered moving the headquarters to a settlement which was less prone to natural disasters.[1]

Later earthquakes meant that after the 1773 earthquake the town had been moved three times. In 1776, after the Santa Marta earthquakes, the Spanish Crown finally ordered the capital to be moved to a safer location, in Spanish: Valle de la Ermita (Valley of the Shrine), where Guatemala City, the modern capital of Guatemala, now stands.

See also

• List of earthquakes in Guatemala
• List of historical earthquakes

References

1. White, R. A.; Ligorria, J. P.; Cifuentes, I. L. (2004). "Seismic history of the Middle America subduction zone along El Salvador, Guatemala, and Chiapas, Mexico: 1526–2000". Natural Hazards in El Salvador. Geological Society of America. p. 394. ISBN 978-0-8137-2375-4.