Mexico City remembers 1985 earthquake that changed everything
Forty years later, residents recall the disaster, the rise of civil defense, and the ongoing memory that shapes daily life and safety drills.
MEXICO CITY — On Sept. 19, 1985, at 7:19 a.m., an 8.1-magnitude earthquake and its aftershocks struck the capital, killing thousands and leaving the official death toll around 12,000, though the final figure remains uncertain.
Over time, the disaster became a watershed moment for the city. Civil defense programs expanded, warning systems were refined, and building codes were rewritten to withstand major quakes. Since 2004, Sept. 19 has been marked by annual earthquake drills that test readiness and reinforce a culture of preparedness across communities.
Iconic scenes from the 1985 disaster include the collapse near Solidarity Plaza where the Hotel Regis stood before the rubble took its place. The destruction also touched the area around the Tlatelolco Plaza, where a sun dial would later mark the time of the quake.
Enrique Linares, then a young accounting student, recalled seeing a red cloud rising above the street and realizing the scale of destruction. He witnessed the void where a 12-story hospital with a red light on top should have stood, a moment that underscored the reach of the quake. Search teams worked for days, and days later several infants were rescued alive from the rubble, giving rise to the term miracle babies.
Among the tragedies were the city seamstresses who worked in collapsed textile plants. Gloria Juandiego described how rescue crews often prioritized equipment and raw materials over rescuing workers, and how bodies were loaded into trucks while pleas from families went unanswered. That period helped spark the Sept. 19 seamstresses union, which pushed for safer working conditions.
On Sept. 19, 2017, barely two hours after that year’s drill, a separate 7.1-magnitude temblor struck near the capital. The quake trapped textile workers and others inside deteriorating buildings, and rescuers described painstaking work with improvised tools as they pulled survivors from the debris, including immigrants among the dead.
The disaster helped give rise to Los Topos, a volunteer rescue group that began with a handful of volunteers and has grown to roughly 1,200 people today. The organization has traveled to 32 countries to assist in moments of catastrophe and continues training every Sunday for what could happen next.
Today, memories of 1985 and 2017 endure as symbols of solidarity. Mexico City has rebuilt not only its skyline but its approach to emergency response, and residents continue to live with the risk of another tremor. The annual Sept. 19 drills and the ongoing work of groups like Los Topos reflect a culture of resilience aimed at turning disaster into preparedness.