Forty years after Mexico City’s devastating 1985 earthquake, survivors gathered at the El Rule Cultural Center to read their personal narratives of a disaster that continues to mark the city and its people. Nevertheless, the stories shared at the “Living Books” event demonstrated that the 1985 earthquake continues to affect countless lives, prompting many to reassess their perspectives and priorities. How the 1985 earthquake changed Mexico CityRafael currently serves as the president of Los Topos. “The 1985 earthquake exceeded expectations of what the seismic demand on a structure would be,” Toro Marín explains. Vera Sistermans is a freelance journalist and security analyst based in Mexico City.