Skyscrapers in Mexico City swayed from the force of the seismic shift, which also rattled colonial buildings in neighboring Puebla.
The U.S. Geological Survey determined the quake struck at 2:24 p.m. local time with a strength of magnitude 5.7 about 95 miles (150 km) southeast of Mexico City.
The agency said that the depth of nearly 35 miles (55 km) prevented any significant damage from occurring across the region.
But the shaking was strong enough to send hundreds of frightened people rushing out of their offices and homes, and for officials to evacuate some schools.
Long-term residents of the capital have lived through numerous powerful earthquakes, including one in 1985 that killed as many as 10,000 people.