It has been described as one of the most evocative places on the planet and no wonder, since its landscapes are full of gloomy doll faces hanging from the trees. This place was never designed with the intention of attracting the attention of tourists, but rather it arose from a true story that makes your hair stand on end.

A special place in Mexico

It is an area of canals surrounded by floating islands, a mode of agriculture that was used in ancient times by the Mayas and Incas, for which certain rectangular-shaped areas were available and that had very fertile land to develop crops on the surface of the water.

This island called Xochimilco with long navigable channels belongs to the list of delegations of Mexico City, which in total are 16. It has 190 square km and is located in the southeastern part of the city.

In 1987, it was declared a “Cultural Heritage of Humanity” by UNESCO. Among all these small islands that float through the channels, one stands out for the terrible events that are said to have happened there, in addition to its gloomy panoramas. It is “the island of the dolls”, which even comes to compete with quite chilling places in the world.

It is a macabre place where not a single human being lives. You can walk for hours and still find dolls with evil faces. In the middle of the island there is a cabin, which belonged to a man named Julián Santana, the only one who ever lived there and did so for almost half a century. It was he who started the strange habit of hanging that kind of dolls everywhere.

Something very strange is that they are not normal dolls, commonly found in the market, but with dark, dirty features, some rarely mutilated, also destroyed by the sun, rain, time, vegetation and animals. In the same cabin they are hung on all the walls.

Legend has it that Don Julián lived very peacefully in that paradise, which at that time was called the island of Tezhuilo. But one day, he got a huge surprise when he found the lifeless body of a young woman, floating on the waters of a canal. Next to the girl, there was a doll and he was very attracted to take it in her hands.

Once between her fingers, he stared into her eyes and entered a very strange trance state, as if she were a zombie. But before being fully bewitched, he felt that he should pay homage to the deceased young woman and hang that doll on a tree as an altar.

But then, Don Julián lost all notion of himself and everything and like a madman he set out to get dolls and hang them on all the trees he found on the island and everywhere he had the opportunity. Thus he remained for 50 years, day and night only in that role, like a programmed automaton.

The dark story of Don Julián

Someone once managed to ask Don Julián why he kept getting dolls to hang, so he said that it was the only way he knew to scare away the malevolent entity that girl who lost her life when she fell into the pool had become. channel.

50 years in the same activity and it all ended in 2001, when Don Julián suffered a sudden heart attack and fell dead in the same place where the young girl once died. A nephew of Don Julián, Anastasio Santana, later decided to go live on the island and continue with the task of filling it with shadowy dolls to the last corner.

Some stories say that it was the same dolls that would have killed Don Julián and now his nephew, the new paranormal victim.

In addition to the stories of paranormal phenomena, the Island of the Dolls has also been criticized for its environmental impact and the way dolls and toys have been hung from trees. Many people consider that the place has been “invaded” by tourists and that the soil and vegetation have been damaged.

As for the story of Don Julian, there is also a sad story behind the Island of the Dolls. Don Julian lived alone on the island for more than 50 years, dedicating his life to the construction of this “offering” to the girl who died, some people describe him as a lonely and sad man, who clung to this belief to make sense of it. to his life.

Don Julian passed away in 2001, but the island still attracts many tourists and onlookers who want to see the dolls and toys hanging from the trees and hear the stories and legends associated with the island. However, it is important to note that the Isla de las Muñecas is a private place and is not open to the public, and it is recommended to respect the privacy and rights of the current owners.