......I couldn’t see any rebar sticking up out of the concrete.......
The pictures of the fallen buildings are mostly concrete block that has been parged over with stucco. The block is not reinforced with steel.
There is a picture of a multistory yellow building made very early on with lots of cracks. If you observe closely you can see the crack lines outline the concrete block infill. That is, the vertical reinforced concrete columns and the horizontal beams and slabs are clearly shown to have absorbed the movement. The bond between the masonry infill and the reinforced concrete failed as did some of the masonry infill joints.
We have a block wall around our yard. The blocks were set with concrete - and rebar.
I suspect my wall would last better than their palace in an earthquake.