The 1931 Oaxaca earthquake was an earthquake that affected portions of southern Mexico on January 15, at 01:50 UTC. It registered a magnitude of 8.0 on the surface wave magnitude scale and had a maximum perceived intensity of X (Intense) on the Mercalli intensity scale.
Sergei Eisenstein, who was in Mexico working on a film, flew to Oaxaca shortly after the earthquake to film conditions in the affected area.[8] After having returned to Mexico City, Eisenstein reported on the deaths of 71 persons in Guelatova while attending a fiesta in a church there.[9] A total of 114 deaths were ultimately attributed to the earthquake.