The hurricane that passed through the city of Veracruz and the port of San Juan de Ulúa, New Spain 1552. The construction of a "disaster" in the viceregal era

Abstract

Based on analysis of the consequences of hurricane in 1552 hit the city of Veracruz and the island of San Juan de Ulua, the author studies the vulnerability of the cities of the Spanish colonies, wondering how to assess the damage and to quantify its effects, and in general, how to study natural disasters from the Social Sciences. In this way, it refers to other natural phenomena such as cyclones and tropical storms, of which there are records in the Spanish cities. The study of the explanations from the religiosity of the people of those times and his insistence on leaving record of all events are analyzed in detail in this paper.