Each September 19, Mexico pauses to remember one of the deadliest natural disasters in its modern history: the 1985 earthquake that struck with a magnitude of around 8.0, killing thousands and reshaping the country’s approach to disaster preparedness. While Mexico City bore the brunt of the destruction and remains the focal point of most retrospectives, the western state of Jalisco also suffered significant, lasting damage that rarely makes national headlines.
Four decades later, informador.mx revisits how the temblor left its mark on Jalisco, examining structures, neighborhoods, and lives that were permanently altered by the shaking that radiated far beyond the capital. The anniversary serves as a reminder that seismic events of that magnitude can have ripple effects across hundreds of miles, touching regions not typically associated with the tragedy.
The date has since become deeply symbolic in Mexican culture, doubling as a national Earthquake Preparedness Day, complete with country-wide evacuation drills. It’s also eerily linked to other major quakes: both 2017 and 1985 saw significant earthquakes strike on the very same September date, a coincidence that has only deepened the day’s somber significance for millions of Mexicans.
To learn more about the specific damages and stories from Jalisco tied to the 1985 quake, read the full original report at informador.mx.
Source: Los daños imborrables del sismo de 1985 en Jalisco (informador.mx).
Image: Naoki Sato, BY-SA 2.0 (via Openverse).