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Lydia Ramirez, left, Argelia Garcia and Irene Taboada react to the sight of Pope John Paul II as his motorcade enters the Zocalo in Mexico City on July 31, 2002.
Greeted by millions shedding tears of joy and raising hands heavenward, Pope John Paul II arrived on July 29 for his fifth visit to Mexico.He left only three days later, having given the Mexican faithful their first saint and rekindling the seeds of faith in this overwhelmingly Catholic country which is struggling with underemployment and a high rate of poverty.
His mere presence lifted the hearts of many, who declared him one of their own. Chants of "Ya eres Mexicano!" were heard on city streets as his motorcade sped by.
It is estimated that 12 million people arrived in Mexico City for the Pope's visit, momentarily swelling its population to about 30 million. Many arrived by bus and train, and some even walked for days. "The simplicity of people who come demonstrates authentic faith, " said one pilgrim, Guillermo Arturo Vera Calles of Oaxaca.
John Paul II elevated to sainthood Juan Diego, an Indian peasant to whom the Virgin Mary appeared, taking the form of an Indian woman in 1531.
The San Antonio Express-News covered every step of the Pope's 11-day visit to North and Central America, sending photographers Delcia Lopez, Jerry Lara and I to Mexico, Gloria Ferniz to Guatemala and Joshua Trujillo to Toronto. The Express-News has an internet slide show.
My wife, Alicia Wagner Calzada, also ventured to Mexico City to make photographs and experience the visit. She, too will display photos on her internet website, Visual Journey, soon.
Above, an Indian child sits by his parents beyond the confines of the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City, where the Pope canonized a Mexican Indian, Juan Diego, who lived in the 16th century.
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| The faithful watch for the Pope. | A vendor sells pope souvenirs. |
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©2002 Billy Calzada