As if Jesus walked on Earth

by Adrian A. Bantjes

Conservatives branded him a communist traitor, a dangerous radical importing exotic ideologies that ultimately would destroy the concepts of private property, the family, and religion. However, to the Indians, working class, and the poor, he was a virtual deity, tata, the embodiment of the people. To that horde of thousands, the six years that Lazaro Cardenas served as president of Mexico were as if Jesus, Himself walked on Earth. Yet many Latin Americanists believe that the popularity of this controversial figure has clouded understanding of Mexico's history. This sweeping and detailed study debunks many of the established interpretations of Cardenismo and sheds new light on the historical process that created Mexico's postrevolutionary political culture. As If Jesus Walked on Earth analyzes what Cardenismo actually meant for ordinary Mexicans - culturally, politically, and economically - as they struggled through those difficult years of radical reform.