Magnitude 6.5 Earthquake Shakes Southern and Central Mexico, Felt in Mexico City

It was a calm Friday morning — the first working Friday of the year — when a deep, rumbling tremor suddenly disrupted the dawn. People across southern and central Mexico were just settling into their routines, anticipating another ordinary day. Then the ground began to move.

At 7:58 a.m. local time on January 2, 2026, a strong earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.5 struck near the town of San Marcos in the southern Mexican state of Guerrero, sending shockwaves through towns, coastal cities, and even the sprawling capital, Mexico City.

The seismic event’s epicenter was located a few miles north-northwest of Rancho Viejo, high in the mountains about 57 miles (92 km) northeast of the Pacific Ocean resort of Acapulco, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Although Mexico is no stranger to earthquakes, the timing and reach of this one — felt far from its epicenter — startled many.

In Guerrero, residents felt the earth shake intensely. The ground vibrated, furniture rattled, and dogs barked in alarm. One local human rights defender described hearing a deep roar just before the trembling began, an unforgettable sound that seemed to come from the core of the earth itself. In the hills surrounding Acapulco, hillside roads and highways landslides triggered by the shaking, complicating travel and isolating some rural communities.

In Acapulco itself, a city known for its sunny beaches and bustling tourism, the quake’s arrival was abrupt and unsettling. Tourists and locals alike abandoned their morning routines, spilling into the streets to escape swaying buildings. Some clutched belongings as concrete and plaster cracked overhead, while others simply stood frozen, unsure of what would happen next.

The quake’s effects weren’t confined to the coast. In Mexico City, seismic alarms sounded and people evacuated buildings as tremors rippled through the dense metropolis nearly 230 km (143 miles) from the epicenter. Office workers, shoppers, and residents felt the familiar but always unnerving shaking. In some high-rise apartments, lights flickered and walls groaned as the city’s infamous lakebed soil amplified the motion.

At the National Palace in Mexico City, President Claudia Sheinbaum was in the middle of her first press briefing of the new year when the quake struck. The auditorium filled with the shrill blare of emergency alarms as aides and journalists were evacuated for safety. Soon after the tremors subsided, Sheinbaum resumed her briefing, calming the public and confirming that she was in touch with local authorities assessing the situation.

Government officials, including Guerrero’s Governor Evelyn Salgado, reported that initial assessments showed no serious structural damage or major casualties in the quake’s wake. But communication issues in some areas — especially along the Costa Chica — meant that information was still trickling in hours after the event. In places where cell service and landlines are less reliable, residents said they struggled to reach friends and family.

Experts note that Mexico’s geographical position — straddling several tectonic plates — makes it a hotspot for seismic activity. The country has experienced some of the deadliest earthquakes in the Western Hemisphere, including the catastrophic 1985 quake that devastated Mexico City and claimed thousands of lives. Over the years, extensive early-warning systems and stringent building codes have reduced the potential for disaster, though each quake remains a powerful reminder of nature’s unpredictability.

Despite the relative lack of immediate, significant structural collapse, people were left shaken — literally and emotionally. Across Guerrero and into central Mexico, there were reports of minor cracks in walls, fallen pictures, and toppled items inside homes. Some schools and workplaces temporarily closed as inspectors checked for hidden damage. And in communities near the epicenter, residents prepared for aftershocks — smaller but still unsettling tremors that often follow a quake of this size.

As the sun rose higher and the initial shock waned, life began to settle back into an uneasy rhythm. Streets reopened, birds resumed their morning calls, and some people resumed their errands. Yet the memory of the ground’s sudden movement lingered — in whispered conversations, in graphic photos shared on social media, and in the cautious steps of those who felt the earth shift beneath them.

This earthquake — strong, wide-reaching, and deeply felt — was another chapter in Mexico’s long story with seismic forces. For now, the focus remained on community support, ongoing assessments, and the cautious hope that this powerful morning tremor would be remembered more for its surprise than for destruction.