1717 Guatemala earthquake
1717 Guatemala earthquake is located in Central America
Antigua Guatemala
Antigua Guatemala
1717 Guatemala earthquake
Local dateSeptember 29, 1717 (1717-09-29)
Magnitude~7.4 Mw
Epicenter14°34′N 90°44′W / 14.57°N 90.73°W / 14.57; -90.73
Areas affectedGuatemala
Max. intensityIX (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

References

  1. 1 2 3 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.


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