The earthquake research becomes increasingly complex and consequently the building codes too, first of all, because we want to express everything in formulas even where nature does not imagine and regardless of whether investigations are based on inaccurate assumptions. Many doubt if this is the way because this forest of intricacies sometimes make us lose the way and the common sense. The result of this situation, of this confusion, is that, every time, the failures due to earthquakes are multiplied, expressing the increasing distance between the complex investigation and the constructive practice of the day- to- day. This paper shows the many types of failures that can occur in buildings during an earthquake, in this case, the Popayán Earthquake occurred in Colombia in year 1983 (MB =5,5, approximately depth 9 km, duration 16 s, location of hypocenter of Popayán 5km). The photos were taken a day after the quake.