The story of The Nine Guardians takes place during the presidency of Lazaro Cardenas between 1934 and 1940. Lazaro Cardenas instituted land reform to dismantle the large ranches owned by the elite class and end the state. of the peonage in which the Indians of the ranch lived. The government of President Cardenas opposed the Catholic Church because it was seen as the vehicle of superstition as well as the ally of the old regime. (Mason 1962, p. 80) Churches were closed and many priests lost their lives for celebrating mass. (Nicholson 1992, p. 9) Women were allowed to clean the relics once a month (p. 43). Conservative Catholic Cristeros rebel groups operated in many areas. of the state to defend the interests of the Church, which generally coincided with those of landowners. The bands of Cristeros were mainly composed of resident workers of the Hacienda who were driven to rebellion by their owners and kept under arms by their owners. Economically dependent on the Hacienda system, the priests were not only the intellectual instigator of the revolt, but were often its military leaders. They taught that the distribution of land was contrary to the will of God and that the peon owed implicitly to its owner. (Huizer, year, p125) “Exhausting oneself to fight against this iniquitous and senseless persecution”, p 234. The Church being persecuted by the government of President Cárdenas, the mass had to be said in secret. Amalia risks imprisonment by allowing her home to be used as a religious meeting place. The story depicts the injustices suffered by both the women of the landowning class and the natives. Lazaro Cardenas instituted land reforms that would benefit the Indian population. The large land ranches owning el...... middle of paper ...... god. Religious meetings were held in secret in the homes of church members, mainly women. Amalia risked her freedom by organizing a meeting at her home. (p232) The Ladinos and Indians believed that they were punished by their gods for the suffering they experienced. The Mayans believed that they were being punished by their gods for the suffering their people suffered at the hands of Europeans. “They have come who were destined to come; haughty and harsh in attitude and loud in voice, such were the instruments of our reprimands.” (Castellanos, year, p 56) The religious rites and customs practiced by indigenous peoples were constructed by Europeans as “lies and deceptions invented by the devil” (Tignor et al 2002, p97). Rather, they were to worship only the Christian God. to bow before their many idols.