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1717 Guatemala earthquake

1710s earthquakes1717 in New Spain1717 in North America1717 natural disasters18th century in Guatemala
Colonial GuatemalaEarthquakes in GuatemalaGuatemala stubs

The 1717 Guatemala earthquake struck colonial Guatemala on September 29 with an estimated moment magnitude of 7.4, and a Mercalli intensity of approximately IX (Violent). 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.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.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article 1717 Guatemala earthquake (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors).

1717 Guatemala earthquake
Antigua Guatemala

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Wikipedia: 1717 Guatemala earthquakeContinue reading on Wikipedia

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N 14.57 ° E -90.73 °
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03002 Antigua Guatemala
Sacatepéquez, Guatemala
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