The author was on holiday in Mexico City at the time of the earthquake, and
 felt his hotel building sway. He concluded that the ground shaking near the center
 of the earthquake must have been of destructive intensity and, therefore, it would be worthwhile to investigate the damage. Professor Emilio Rosenblueth 
of the Instituto de Ingenieria of the University of Mexico (UNAM) arranged for
 the author to join the team of engineers from the Instituto for their visit to the damaged area on the 29th, 30th and 31st of August. Initially, the group consisted
 of Professors Enrique del Valle and Oscar Hernandez, Ing. Roberto Villaverde, and
the author. Later, on 30 August, this
group was joined by Ing. Alejandro Gonzales, Ing. Belzay Romero, Ing. Jose Suarez and 
Mr. John F. Meehan, Research Director of
 the Office of Architecture and Construction, State of California. To these people the author expresses his sincere thanks for their consideration, and for the interesting discussions of the damage.