MEXICO, D.F. -- The polemic about the existence of the Indian Juan Diego and the reasons behind his canonization is now in second place, due to the expectation generated by the Pope's fifth visit to México to canonize the first indigenous saint.

John Paul II, who has confessed his weakness for the Virgin of Guadalupe, the Empress of the Americas, fulfilled with this visit, from July 30 through Aug. 1, one of the foremost aspirations of the Mexican Catholic church.

Religious fervor, exacerbated in the days preceding the arrival of the Pontiff, has won over debates around the figure of Juan Diego, to whom, according to tradition, the Brown-Skinned Virgin appeared at the Tepeyac Hill on December of 1531.

Legend has it that the Virgin asked Juan Diego, Cuauhtlatohuac (He Who Speaks Like and Eagle) in indigenous language, that a temple be constructed at the site of her appearances and, because of Bishop Fray Juan de Zumarraga's incredulity, she stamped her image on the Indian's ayate, or handwoven robe.

This proof convinced the bishop and started a cult that resulted in the construction, in 1976, of the Basílica, which every year receives more than 20 million faithful from around the world.

Beatified by John Paul II in 1990, during his second pastoral visit to México, Juan Diego got to Mexican altars due to another alleged miracle: The healing of a Mexican young man who had jumped from a 30-foot high window.

For the Vatican there is no doubt about both miracles and there is no place for the skepticism voiced by such authorized voices as that of historian Miguel León Portilla or the polemic former abbot of the Basílica, Guillermo Schulenburg.

León Portilla, who in his book 'Tonatzín Guadalupe,' discusses the relationship between the Mother Goddess worshiped by the Indians in Tepeyac and the Virgin, considers there are not enough documents to prove the existence of Juan Diego, much less his work.

In his book, he remembers that the first testimonials that provided a base for the legend are dated a century after the supposed appearances, like the story of the Nican Mophua that, according to León Portilla, was written by a well read Indian after a bishop asked him to do so.

The historian recently stated that, "the appearances of the Virgin cannot be historically verified. They cannot be demonstrated."

In his view, it is surprising that the memoirs of the monk Zumárraga do not mention Juan Diego even once, and coincidences between the story of the Guadalupana and other versions of divine appearances that Spanish missionaries introduced in Mexico are extraordinary.

According to British historian David Brading, an expert on Mexican issues, the canonization responds to the interest of the Church in preserving its presence among the Indian population, in order to halt the sweeping advance of the evangelical faith in Latin América.

Brading also believes that there are no documents to support the Guadalupe miracle and, although he does not doubt the existence of Juan Diego, he believes that the image of the Virgin was not imprinted in his robe by miracle but painted at a later time.

Within the church, the main skeptical is the former abbot of the Basilica of Guadalupe, Guillermo Schulenburg, who even wrote to the Vatican to argue against the canonization.

In spite of the polemic between historians and church representatives, Mexican devout follow passionately the Church's efforts to find an adequate face for Juan Diego.

After the canonization was announced, the Church distributed a poster with an image of the beatific Juan Diego that looked more like Jesus or Hernán Cortés than like indigenous people of central México.

Those posters vanished after the flood of criticism received, but the institution can count on the collaboration of a young artist who has organized a "casting" to select a face capable of convincing the market and the faithful.

Whatever the face of Juan Diego, his success will be far from that accomplished by the Guadalupana, credited as the one who grants more miracles to Mexicans, followed by Saint Judas Tadeo, according to a recent poll.