Earthquake 2012: Mexico's Vulnerability to the Forces of Nature

Today we got quite a shaking. Shortly after noon, I was in the kitchen fixing a torta (Mexican sandwich) for Reed when I heard unfamiliar sirens. Then I heard Reed exclaim, "It's an earthquake!"

Epicenter of Today's Earthquake (USGS, March 20, 2012)

The excited, shrill voices of schoolchildren from the nearby elementary school floated up to us. The building swayed—giving rise to wild oscillations of the hummingbird feeder on our balcony. Our vertical blinds moved rhythmically to and fro, noisily.

Reed came to stand next to me in the doorway between kitchen and dining room. Our apartment is on the fifth floor. By the time we walk down the stairs, the earthquake will be over, and we'll just have to walk back up because it's unlikely we'd be able to use the elevator. Whatever is going to happen will have happened.

Fortunately, our building came through the 1985 Mexico City Earthquake just fine, and Coyoacán is built on pedregal, stony ground, which is stable.

The last quake occurred just before Christmas. It lasted in Coyoacán for about 45 seconds, but in downtown Mexico City—constructed on fill atop Lake Texcoco—the ground shook for a good three minutes.  So we believe our situation is good.

We stood together in the doorway—waiting, alert, watchful. We both became aware of feeling slightly seasick, even dizzy—a vertigo induced by the movement of the earth under our feet.

Our eyes sought stability, yet found nothing stable to focus on. The overwhelming feeling was the unanswerable question, "Is it over yet?"  The shaking seemed to go on forever, but it probably lasted only a little over a minute.

We lost power. I checked the phone. No dial tone. But it wasn't long before the modem began to reboot. It felt good to be back online.

I checked Facebook. A good Mexican friend now lives outside Denver with her husband and children, but her parents are still in Mexico City. My friend had tried multiple times to call her mother, but couldn't get through.

I wrote that we were okay in Coyoacán. We had power, but no dial tone. Since my friend's parents live in the same general area, the likelihood is that they are okay. A second friend wrote to tell her that the phone lines are all jammed with family attempting to contact other family members. She urged my friend to be patient.

My U.S. friends began inquiring, "R U OK?"  Meanwhile, my geeky husband was scrolling for information about the quake.

A Facebook friend complained that he didn't know where the earthquake was, adding, "Mexico is a large country with 31 states. Where was the earthquake?"

I responded in a straightforward manner, giving the preliminary facts,

Guerrero State, roughly midway between Oaxaca City and Acapulco. Richter 7.6 at a depth of nearly 11 miles.

A friend near Pátzcuaro, Michoacán, wrote, "We felt it here!"

I replied, "We're starting to get strong aftershocks."

These proved to be the first of nine or ten aftershocks that were to occur over the next several hours—their intensity ranged from Richter 4.6 to 5.3, with three aftershocks measuring 5.1.

Aftershocks are disquieting. The physical feeling of being not-quite-right lingers. My mind wanders. I am comforted by Internet contact with family and friends.

Our initial uncertainty is being dispelled by objective information we get from the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and delivered via the Internet.

I can't help wondering, what would Mexico's original peoples have felt as they experienced a natural event such as this earthquake? How would they have tried to understand it—to make some kind of sense out of it? How did they deal with the unknown?

Then from Facebook, I read this from another Mexican friend:

Todos bien! Con todo y alerta sísmica, no cabe duda de que ante la naturaleza, somos muy pequeños.... 

We are all well!  With all this seismic alert, there's no doubt that when confronted by the powers of nature, we are all very small.... 

I take a very deep breath, exhaling slowly. Here is expression of exactly the sensibility I have been attempting to describe in several recent posts. 

In a nutshell, Mexico's geography has consistently threatened its inhabitants with the issue of physical survival in the face of powerful natural forces—earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, hurricanes off the Gulf of Mexico, cyclones from the Pacific, floods and drought. It comes to mind that Mexico is currently suffering its most severe drought in eighty years.  

In large measure, Mesoamerican culture, including its religious thought, developed as the human response to natural threats such as today's earthquake. As Reed puts it, myths arise where humans encounter the forces of nature.

Once again I have the powerful sense that Mexico's past is not dead. It lives. I know, because it confronted me today—reminding me of my finiteness before the forces of nature.

Still Curious?

Here's the link to the USGS Summary, which gives an excellent description of Mexico's earthquake history and today's event.  Click on 'Detail' tabs at top of page for specific information on today's earthquake.