(12 Dec 2002)
1. Wide shot of Basilica
2. Pan of crowds in front of Basilica
3. Aztec dancers
3. Close up masked Aztec dancer
4. Close up image of the "Virgin" on back of pilgrim
5. Pull out to mid shot Aztec dancers
5. Man dancing with a picture of the Virgin on his back
6. SOUNDBITE: (Spanish) Irene Mauricio, Pilgrim:
"It is a great day, a very great day for all Mexicans. We are Mexicans and this is our day. We come here to remember the Virgin."
7. Mid shot of pilgrims walking on their knees, carrying pictures of the Virgin
8. Close up pilgrim in pain
9. Close up girl with flowers
10. Close up young pilgrim, tilt down to knees
11. Mid shot of boy who fell off his horse being carried towards the Basilica
12. SOUNDBITE: (Spanish) Voxpop, Pilgrim:
"My son was kicked by a horse." (Q: Are you here to pray?) "Yes we came to pray for his health to the Virgin."
13. Wide shot of girls dancing in Indian costumes
14. Low angle shot of dancer with old Basilica in background
15. Low angle shot of dancers
16. Wide shot of Aztec band playing
17. Close up man singing and playing guitar
18. Close up of little girl
19. Mid shot man playing instrument
20. Mid shot group playing
21. Close up man playing instrument
STORYLINE:
Millions of faithful flocked to Mexico City on Thursday to honor their beloved Virgin of Guadalupe, only a few months after Pope John Paul II canonized the poor Indian man who is said to have seen her appear on a hillside.
Hundreds of thousands celebrated the annual holiday commemorating the virgin with a series of Masses, as Aztec dancers skipped around traditional incense fires and newly arrived pilgrims crawled towards Mexico City's Basilica.
According to tradition, a dark-skinned virgin appeared to Juan Diego on Dec. 12, 1531.
Millions arrive in the nation's capital in early December each year, sometimes jogging behind trucks or crawling along highways while carrying banners with the virgin's image toward the Basilica.
During this year's celebrations one young man, who was badly injured by a horse, had to be carried all the way to the Basilica by his relatives to see the image of the Virgin and pray for his recovery.
Many credit the virgin with saving them from disease or disaster or helping their relatives cross safely into the United States, among other miracles.
Her image can be found on everything from T-shirts to key chains all year round in Mexico, but she is everywhere on December 12 the Day of the Virgin.
Television and radio stations broadcast live footage of the celebrations, and many take off work to spend the day at the Basilica.
While many Mexicans would never question Juan Diego's story, there are some skeptics.
The virgin appeared only a few years after the fall of the Aztec empire on a hillside that also happened to be a place where Aztecs worshipped Tonantzin, their mother of the gods. Some have speculated that Juan Diego's story was used to convert Indians to Roman Catholicism.
The story says the virgin identified herself as the "Mother of God," and told Juan Diego to ask the archbishop of Mexico City to build a shrine on the hill from which she would preside over those "who love me and trust in me."
Initially skeptical, the archbishop was reportedly convinced when Juan Diego, believing he was carrying flowers, opened his cloak to reveal an image of the virgin imprinted on the cloth.
That cloak is hung in Mexico City's Basilica. Millions visit it each year, stepping onto crowded moving walkways and gazing up at what is believed to be a miraculous piece of cloth.
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