Office buildings shook and office employees fled into the street when the 7.6-magnitude quake rattled Mexico City.
Mobile phone lines went down in the capital moments after the quake, which lasted for more than a minute.
The governor of the southwestern state of Guerrero, Angel Aguirre, said he had received reports of 500 homes damaged, with some of them knocked down, but he gave no more details.
Television images showed part of a bridge collapsed onto a vehicle on the outskirts of Mexico City, but Mayor Marcelo Ebrard said no one was injured and helicopter flyovers showed there was no sign of major damage in the capital.
President Felipe Calderon also said on his twitter account there were no reports of serious damage.
The quake was felt as far away as Guatemala City.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said the inland earthquake would not generate a destructive widespread tsunami, but there was the possibility of some local tsunami effects.