Part 1: A 32-year Déjà-vu

Mexico City’s geoseismic design challenges arise from its unique local geology combined with high tectonic activity. This article discusses the challenges that continue to grow, as the center of the ruins of the Aztec capital has turned into the most prominent modern metropolis of Latin America, with economic growth that demands taller buildings. The response of the regional soils has repeatedly and destructively materialized in the form of soil basin amplification phenomena (one- and two-dimensional) that manifested as seismic waves propagating through the natural valley’s topography. …