In initial coverage of the magnitude 6.5 earthquake that struck near San Marcos, Guerrero, at 7:58 a.m. on January 2, 2026, strong shaking interrupted President Claudia Sheinbaum's first press briefing of the year and prompted residents of Mexico City and Acapulco to rush into the streets, with early reports of landslides near Acapulco.
Guerrero's civil defense agency noted landslides around Acapulco and on other state highways. The U.S. Geological Survey placed the epicenter at a shallow depth of 21.7 miles (35 km), 2.5 miles north-northwest of Rancho Viejo—about 57 miles northeast of Acapulco.
Sheinbaum resumed her briefing soon after and said she had spoken with Gov. Evelyn Salgado of Guerrero, who reported no serious damage in preliminary assessments.
José Raymundo Díaz Taboada, a doctor and human rights defender living on one of the peaks overlooking Acapulco, recounted: "I heard a strong rumble noise and all the neighborhood dogs began barking. In that moment the seismic alert went off on my cell phone, and then the shaking began to feel strong with a lot of noise." He described the shaking as lighter than some past quakes but prepared a backpack of essentials amid continuing aftershocks. Taboada was unable to reach friends along the Costa Chica southeast of Acapulco due to communication disruptions.
Originating near the Pacific coast resort of Acapulco, the quake heightened local concerns as authorities began damage assessments.
