Why was the earthquake on the 19th of September so selective?

     Earthquakes don't have names like hurricanes. Earthquakes are sudden events that rumble up and out of the earth like the fatal indigestion of the devil. Hurricanes are born at sea, go through an adolescence, an adulthood, and death. They are with us for a while like a short lived person. The naming of hurricanes goes back several centuries. Naming an earthquake would happen after the fact which can be devastating. 
     The earth quake that hit Mexico on September the 19th devastated many dwellings, churches, and landmarks. Five houses in a row, for instance, in Tenancingo, an entire block in Joquicingo, scores of old churches, thousands and thousands of adobe houses here and there built 100 years ago. It didn't flatten everything but skipped a block or two inflicting damage unequally. Why? 
     Earthquake damage is related to nearness to the epicenter, geology, type and quality of construction, and frequencies of the waves produced at the epicenter. They say this one affected short structures and spared taller buildings because of the type of the frequecies. Mexico City is always vulnerable because it sits on a bowl of geologic jello which amplifies earthquake movement. The adobe houses and the churches damaged in the quake have been around for a while. Some adobes over 200 years and some churches over 500. They have felt the earth move before and survived. Why did the quake damage some communities far worse than others?
     I have a short curly haired dog named Tuza. She was drinking out of the fountain the other day. I watched the waves she made with her lapping. When they hit the opposite rim of the fountain they rippled faster. Tuza would change position as she lapped and the waves that met the rim might wiggle more to the left or more to the right depending on Tuza's position. Mexico's topography is wild. Deep valleys and tall mountains. Could they act as the rim of my fountain repelling different types of waves from earthquakes helter skelter. Could this account for the severe damage experienced by certain communities while others were more "spared".