Image of Elvis Appears on Virgin Mary

GUADALUPE, MEXICO- Hundreds of music fans and sightseers flocked to the town of Guadalupe this week as reports poured in of a divine image. On the morning after Christmas, as he was opening his Church of the Exalted Savior for what he thought was just another day of worship, Padre Jose Santiago was shocked by what he found. On the chapel's hundred year old statue of the Virgin Mary was an inexplicable image of Elvis Presley.

Ever since the discovery, music buffs from locales as distant as Tokyo and London have been clamoring for a look at the miracle. The interior of the small chapel was filled with tourists all weekend, with only a handful of regular local churchgoers trying to ignore the distractions taking place in the rear of the sanctuary. By New Year's, there was an hour's wait to see the miracle, with vendors hawking flowers and baked goods to the line of eager pilgrims.

The floor of the church is fast growing cluttered, with visitors leaving mounds of velvet paintings, records and lovingly wrapped burgers at the foot of the statue each night.

“They keep coming and coming” said local townswoman Maria DelSancho. “I have never seen such a zealous group. They are odd”, referring to the mid-western housewives and families clad in Hawaiian shirts and gauche patterns not indigenous to the area. Asked if she thought the image was sacrilegious, Ms. DelSancho like most others asked simply shrugged, admitting through her translator “it is Elvis after all”.

A team of tweed-clad inspectors from Memphis were still unable to ascertain how this incredible image of the King appeared on the cheek of the Mother. “It's our job,” said Miles Browman of the Institute of Elvis Studies. “Every few months there's a spotting and we need to investigate to disprove them. We don't usually see a late Elvis like this.” Mr. Browman's team was at a loss to explain away the image of a heavyset Mr. Presley sleeping on the Virgin Mother's cheek. “Usually it turns out to be someone looking for attention. A waitress in Des Moines scorches a piece of toast to look like a scene from Jailhouse Rock, that sort of thing. But this...”

A visibly shaken IES director Browman wouldn't admit if he still thought the image was a fake, but upon leaving, a King-spotter says he saw the man drop a red rose at the feet of the statue, then perform a barely perceptible gig before gathering his test samples and running off.