Powerful Mexico Quake Shakes Guerrero and Mexico City, Triggers Evacuations
Powerful Quake Rocks Southern Mexico
A 6.5-magnitude earthquake struck near San Marcos in Guerrero state on January 2, 2026, sending shockwaves over 180 miles to Mexico City, where the iconic Angel of Independence monument swayed dramatically.[1][3] The early morning tremor, at a shallow depth of 22 miles, triggered seismic alarms just before 8 a.m., prompting mass evacuations as residents fled in pajamas, clutching pets amid swaying buildings and falling debris.[1][2]
Damage and Disruptions Across Regions
Roads suffered landslides blocking highways to Acapulco, hospitals in Guerrero sustained damage requiring assessments, and minor cracks appeared in Mexico City structures, including homes and public buildings.[1][3] Airports in Mexico City and Acapulco reported slight issues but stayed operational, while gas leaks and over 420 aftershocks, peaking at 4.7 magnitude, heightened fears.[1]
Human Toll and Resilient Response
Tragically, two deaths occurred—a woman in Guerrero and a man in Mexico City from evacuation falls—amid injuries and chaos.[1][2] President Claudia Sheinbaum's first 2026 press conference at the National Palace halted briefly as the ground shook; she evacuated calmly with journalists before resuming.[1] Mexico's seismic preparedness shone through, minimizing widespread catastrophe in this quake-prone nation.[3]
About the People Mentioned
Claudia Sheinbaum
**Claudia Sheinbaum** is a Mexican politician, environmental engineer, and climate scientist who has served as the 66th President of Mexico since October 2024[2]. She is the first woman and first Jewish person to hold the office[2][3]. Born on June 24, 1962, in Mexico City, Sheinbaum comes from a family of scientists[1]. Her grandparents were Jewish immigrants from Lithuania and Bulgaria[1]. She earned a bachelor's degree in physics from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) in 1989, followed by a master's degree in 1994 and a Ph.D. in energy engineering in 1995, also from UNAM[4]. During her doctoral research in the 1990s, she spent four years at the University of California, Berkeley, focusing on energy engineering[1]. Sheinbaum's political career began in 2000 when she was appointed environment secretary of Mexico City under then-mayor Andrés Manuel López Obrador[1]. She served as delegational chief (mayor) of Tlalpan, the largest borough in Mexico City, from 2015 to 2017[1]. In 2018, she became Head of Government of Mexico City, becoming the first elected female head of government and the first Jewish person to hold the position[2]. During her tenure as Mexico City's mayor until 2023, she focused on security, public transport, and social programs while managing major crises including the COVID-19 pandemic and the Mexico City Metro overpass collapse[2]. Sheinbaum's scientific contributions include membership in the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007[4]. She authored over 100 articles and two books on energy, the environment, and sustainable development[4]. In the 2024 presidential election, Sheinbaum won a landslide victory as the National Regeneration Movement (MORENA) candidate[2]. As president, she enacted constitutional reforms including enshrining social programs into the Constitution and reversing aspects of the 2013 energy reform to strengthen state control over the energy sector[2]. In 2025, Forbes ranked her as the fifth most powerful woman in the world[2].
