{"id":1887,"date":"2026-09-25T21:40:01","date_gmt":"2026-09-25T21:40:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/silletasimex.com\/?p=1887"},"modified":"2026-09-25T23:10:34","modified_gmt":"2026-09-25T23:10:34","slug":"evolution-of-earthquake-resistant-construction-in-mexico","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/silletasimex.com\/en\/evolucion-construccion-sismorresistente-en-mexico\/","title":{"rendered":"The evolution of earthquake-resistant construction in Mexico: lessons from the earthquakes"},"content":{"rendered":"

Mexico is located in one of the most seismically active regions in the world. Throughout its history, various earthquakes have tested buildings, infrastructure, and prevention systems, but they have also contributed to developing new knowledge about Seismic engineering and seismic-resistant construction in Mexico<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the events that marked this evolution are the earthquakes of 1957, 1985 and 2017<\/strong>. Each left damage and losses, but also information that allowed the study of the behavior of structures and the progressive improvement of design, construction, and prevention criteria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The history of these earthquakes allows us to understand a fundamental idea: The earthquake-resistant construction is not the result of a single technology or material, but of decades of learning, research, regulation, and good construction practices.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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1957: the earthquake that triggered a new stage in seismic engineering<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On July 28, 1957, an earthquake of approximately magnitude 7.8 struck mainly the central part of Mexico. The event was recorded in the collective memory as the \u201cAngel\u2019s Earthquake\u201d<\/strong>, Because of the fall of the Victoria Alada that crowned the Independence Column in Mexico City.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the significance of the 1957 earthquake was much more than that symbol.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The earthquake allowed for the analysis of the behavior of different types of structures and showed that the characteristics of the terrain, the structural design, and the way the works were executed could significantly influence their response to an earthquake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the cases studied was the collapse of part of the former Higher School of Engineering and Architecture of the National Polytechnic Institute. Subsequent investigations identified, among other aspects, problems related to the arrangement and placement of the reinforcing steel and with elements of the structural connections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The experience contributed to the development of Mexican seismic engineering and the progressive incorporation of new criteria for the design and construction of structures. The National Autonomous University of Mexico considers the 1957 earthquake to be a fundamental event for the development of seismic engineering based on experiences and data obtained in Mexico.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The constructive lesson of 1957<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the most important lessons was that The structural calculation and the execution of the work must be closely related<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is not enough that a structure is properly designed in plans. During construction, the steel, connections, concrete elements, and all components must be executed in accordance with the project specifications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This relationship between design and execution would become one of the fundamental principles of modern construction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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1985: the earthquake that transformed construction and prevention<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On September 19, 1985, Mexico experienced one of the most devastating earthquakes in its recent history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mexico City suffered significant damage due, among other factors, to the particular characteristics of the seismic movement and the city's soil conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The earthquake once again put the behavior of buildings under scrutiny and revealed vulnerabilities related to different structural systems and types of construction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The magnitude of the tragedy brought about significant changes in Mexico. Civil protection policies were strengthened and new research related to seismic risk was promoted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Construction criteria and regulations were also reviewed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 1985 experience reinforced an idea that had already begun to develop after 1957: Building standards must evolve as knowledge of earthquakes and the behavior of structures increases.<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The constructive lesson of 1985<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The earthquake showed that there is not a single variable responsible for the behavior of a building.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The response of a structure depends on multiple factors: soil characteristics, design, structural system, materials, age, maintenance, and quality of execution, among others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Therefore, building in a seismic zone requires considering the risk from the very early stages of the project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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2017: a new generation of learning<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On September 19, 2017, Mexico experienced another earthquake of great impact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The earthquake affected different parts of the country and caused damage to numerous buildings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the engineering, architecture, and construction community, the event represented a new opportunity to study the behavior of structures and compare the results with decades of accumulated knowledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Subsequent assessments allowed for the identification of different types of damage and the analysis of factors related to design, materials, and construction processes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once again, a lesson that Mexico had already learned in 1957 and 1985 appeared: Structural safety depends on both good design and proper execution.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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From the large structural systems to the constructional details<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When we talk about earthquake-resistant construction, we usually think of big concepts: foundations, columns, beams, structural walls, concrete and steel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, a structure also depends on numerous details that must be executed correctly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of them is the position of the reinforcing steel within the concrete elements<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The steel must be placed according to the project specifications and maintain its position during the casting process. There are different support and separation systems available, including: construction scaffolding and concrete separators<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The brackets allow certain bars or mesh panels to be kept at the specified height and help achieve the concrete coating specified in the design.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is important to clarify that a sill is not a substitute for structural design nor determines the seismic resistance of a building on its own. Its function is much more specific: help the reinforcing steel maintain the indicated position during the execution of the concrete element<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That detail is part of a much larger chain of good practices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The importance of the coating and the correct position of the steel<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The concrete coating is the distance between the outer surface of the element and the reinforcing steel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Its dimension is determined in accordance with the characteristics of the element and the specifications applicable to the project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keeping the steel in the intended position during casting is therefore an important part of the construction process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is where seemingly small accessories become important.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A silleta for rod<\/strong>, A separator or suitable support can help prevent the steel from resting directly on the anvil or moving during casting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The teaching is simple: The quality of a structure also depends on the quality with which its details are executed.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lessons from three earthquakes<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If we look at the earthquakes of 1957, 1985 and 2017 together, we can identify an evolution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1957, the earthquake prompted new research and knowledge about the behavior of Mexican structures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1985, the magnitude of the damage led to a profound transformation in the way risk, civil protection, and building regulation were understood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2017, new evidence allowed the existing criteria to be re-analyzed and examined how the structures built under different generations of regulations had responded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The three events have something in common: Each earthquake provided information for better construction in the future.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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What does it mean to build in a seismically resistant manner?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Building earthquake-resistant structures does not simply mean using more concrete or more steel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It means designing and building taking into account the seismic characteristics of the site and respecting the corresponding structural specifications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It also involves taking care of execution: from the foundation to the connections, from the steel installation to the concrete pouring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Engineers, architects, calculists, supervisors, contractors, manufacturers, and construction workers are involved in this process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each one forms part of a chain of decisions that must function in a coordinated manner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Prevention begins in the project and continues in the work<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mexico's seismic history demonstrates that prevention does not begin when a seismic alert sounds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It starts much earlier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It starts with the study of the terrain, continues with the structural design, continues with the selection of materials, and ends with the execution of each element in the construction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That is why concepts like construction quality, reinforcing steel, concrete coating, formwork, separators and construction supervision<\/strong> They are part of the same conversation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

None replaces the other. All fulfill different functions within an integral constructive process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The importance of taking care of every detail<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a reinforced concrete structure, keeping the steel in the indicated position is part of the proper execution of the project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The cradles and separators for concrete<\/strong> They are solutions designed to provide support and separation for the reinforcing steel during different construction processes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

SIMEX, Silletas y Espaciadores de M\u00e9xico, develops this type of solutions for the construction industry, with products designed to help maintain the position of steel and facilitate the compliance with the coating requirements established for each project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The selection of a silleta or separator must be made considering the specific characteristics of the element, the type of steel, the construction system, and the project specifications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A story that continues to be built<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The earthquakes have changed the way Mexico understands seismic risk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each generation of engineers, architects, and builders has received knowledge from the previous generation and has supplemented it with new research, technologies, and experiences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The evolution of the Earthquake-resistant construction in Mexico<\/strong> It is, to a large extent, the story of that learning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The main lesson that earthquakes teach us is that structural safety does not depend on a single element. It depends on a combination of knowledge, design, regulations, appropriate materials, supervision, and proper execution.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

And that responsibility extends to the details.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because a structure starts to resist an earthquake much before it happens: It begins with the way it was designed and continues with the way each of its elements was built.<\/strong><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

M\u00e9xico se encuentra en una de las regiones s\u00edsmicamente m\u00e1s activas del mundo. A lo largo de su historia, distintos terremotos han puesto a prueba edificios, infraestructura y sistemas de prevenci\u00f3n, pero tambi\u00e9n han contribuido a desarrollar nuevos conocimientos sobre ingenier\u00eda s\u00edsmica y construcci\u00f3n sismorresistente en M\u00e9xico. Entre los acontecimientos que marcaron esta evoluci\u00f3n destacan […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1891,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[74,73,71,83,79,70,85,82],"class_list":["post-1887","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-construccion","tag-arquitectura","tag-concreto","tag-construccion","tag-construccion-sismorresistente","tag-ingenieria","tag-silleta","tag-silletas-y-separadores","tag-sismos"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/silletasimex.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1887","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/silletasimex.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/silletasimex.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/silletasimex.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/silletasimex.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1887"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/silletasimex.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1887\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1896,"href":"https:\/\/silletasimex.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1887\/revisions\/1896"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/silletasimex.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1891"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/silletasimex.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1887"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/silletasimex.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1887"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/silletasimex.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1887"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}