Isla de la Muñecas
The Island of the Dolls
La Isla de la Muñecas (The Island of the Dolls) is located in the cannels of Xochimilco which is just south of the center of Mexico City. This island, while quite eerie, has a heartbreaking history. The island was originally owned by Julian Santana Barrera. Around 1950, Julian began to hang dolls around the island to protect himself from evil spirits. He was near a neighboring area named Barrio de la Asunción, where he used to go to drink pulque (a fermented alcoholic beverage made from the sap of the maguey plant) and sell his vegetables. His behavior began to change, and his superstitions began to become more and more troublesome. Once he began preaching the bible, he was expelled from the sector.
According to some legends, a young girl was found tragically drowned among the lilies in the canal along the banks of the Santampa Chinampas. The legend says that there were three young girls playing in the waters of the island when one of the girls slipped and drowned before Julian was able to save her. In his guilt-ridden state, he hung a single doll near the area of the tragedy. However, a memorial for the innocent life lost quickly turned from a gesture from the deepest recessives of his soul, to something even more terrifying. Julian began to hear screams, footsteps, and various unexplained nightly disturbances. Whether it was because he wanted to appease her spirit, or because he was so deeply traumatized, he began to hang more and more dolls. As they washed up among the garbage of the banks of the island, he would take it as a sign and hang them in the trees, the rafters of his living environment, or anywhere else he was able to. This continued until 2001 when, unfortunately, Julian drowned in the same area of where the girl allegedly drowned.
Picture Credit: Alamy
After his death Julian’s nephew, Don Julian, reported that his uncle was complaining of voices calling him to the water each night. A siren’s call. In the end, it seems the siren’s call brought him to the edge and beyond.
Picture Credit: Exclusivepix Media
It’s quite common that an unexpected and traumatic death can cause paranormal activity, or even increase any paranormal activity that may already be happening.
Since then, the Island of the Dolls has become a popular tourist destination, specifically during Halloween for those curious enough to venture into the unknown. Many will bring dolls of their own as an offering to the restless spirits of the island. Tourists report to have seen dolls move of their own accord. They say that the eyes of the dolls will move to track the unwitting people wandering the island. Arms and legs will move, heads will turn, and disembodied voices can be heard calling out, crying, and screaming. It’s not recommended to stay after dark. Who knows what the siren’s call will say to you? Maybe, just maybe, you’ll end up entangled in the lilies, joining those on the other side, waiting for your own doll to be hung in remembrance of you.
Works Cited
Payton, M. (2014, June 28). Welcome to the Island of the Dolls - creepy shrine to girl now a grim tourist trap. Retrieved from Metro: https://metro.co.uk/2014/06/28/welcome-to-island-of-the-dolls-creepy-shrine-to-girl-now-a-grim-tourist-trap-4779428/
Reporter, S. (2019, April 1). The Irish Sun. Retrieved from Eerie Pics show Mexico's 'huanted' Island of the dolls where thousands of creepy toys hang from trees in tribute to drowned little girl: https://www.thesun.ie/news/3935355/eerie-pics-show-mexicos-haunted-island-of-the-dolls-where-thousands-of-creepy-toys-hang-from-trees-in-tribute-to-drowned-little-girl/
Vargas, N. (2018, May 10). Welcome to Mexico's Island of Mutilated Dolls. Retrieved from Culture Trip: https://theculturetrip.com/north-america/mexico/articles/mexicos-nightmare-island-of-mutilated-dolls/
Wikipedia. (2019). The Island of the Dolls. Retrieved from Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Island_of_the_Dolls#:~:text=The%20Island%20of%20the%20Dolls%20(La%20Isla%20de%20las%20Mu%C3%B1ecas,main%20attractions%20of%20the%20channels.
