If you like to surf the internet to discover stories or legends, you’ve probably come across the rather curious images of dolls tied to trees, ropes and the like, but you may not really know what’s behind that scenery.

To discover more about this terrifying Island of Dolls, get to know Xochimilco, the Mexican territory where this spooky place is located.

The legend of the Island of the Dolls

The stories that are told of this place swear that a girl drowned entangled among the plants of the coast of this territory, and her body was found on the banks of the chinampas by Don Julian Santana, the owner of those lands. Before going on with the legend, you should know that chinampas (in case you have never read it before) are intensive production cultivation lands in swampy places.

He was frightened by this terrible event, believing that the spirit of this poor girl dwelled in the place, a belief that still survives in many cultures when a person dies in strange and horrible circumstances.

He was frightened by this terrible event, believing that in order to scare the girl away, he began to place dolls that he collected from everywhere, from the canals of Cuemanco to garbage containers, since he believed that with these objects he could drive away the evil spirits (including hers).

Years went by and Don Julián ended up tormented by that death, believing that the dolls, which at first scared away the spirits, ended up possessed. The dolls themselves were said to come to life, talk to each other, move, among other hair-raising stories.

The man was found lifeless in the canals where he once found the girl’s body. Many claim that Don Julián, faithful caretaker of the island, is now part of it.

True story of the Island of Dolls

The island of the dolls is located in the canals of Xochimilco, the center of the capital. It was in 1987 when this curious place was found, an island covered by water lily flowers and full of dolls of all sizes hanging at different points of the territory. Due to the curiosity it has generated in different parts of the world, it is currently a place of great tourist affluence.

Don Julián was a well-known neighbor of the town to whom people began to give dolls when they saw his new hobby of collecting this type of toys. According to him, he used them to repel evil spirits because he had experienced paranormal events. Their collection grew rapidly and became a barrier against the unknown, as well as improving crops.

Images of Isla de las muñecas

Despite being a very busy and researched place, documentaries have been made about it, it is not known with certainty how many dolls make up the gloomy collection. If you decide to visit the place, you will find these toys hanging in trees, on ropes, and in almost any nook and cranny.