Do you ever hear about the island haunted by dolls ‘La Isla De Las Muñecas’? Yes, it exists! One is located between the canals of Xochimilco, just south of Mexico City. ‘La Isla De Las Muñecas’ brings the meaning of The Island of the Dolls. The remains of the dolls on the island attract the attention of local and foreign tourists. However, behind the name of this island, it holds a mysterious and creepy past.
The island with hundreds of spine-tingling dolls is located in an area that houses thousands of people. Local people state that the island is dedicated to the spirit of a girl who died too soon in an unexpected situation. Only blank eyes, detached heads and amputated limbs of dolls are left to embellish the trees.
The Origin of La Isla De Las Muñecas
This island of dolls originated when a guy decided to leave his family to isolate himself on Teshuilo Lake. His name is Don Julian Santana Barrera. The collection on the island began in the 1950s when he reportedly found the body of a poor young girl, but he could not save her life. Barrera claimed that the spirit of the drowned young girl haunts his life. The incident shifts the shape of Barrera’s life; the same goes for the island.
Barrera claims that he heard this young girl begging for her doll. Later, he hung the doll on the tree as if to make an offering to this poor youthful girl’s spirit. Later, he realizes that the girl’s spirit possesses the dolls that begin to haunt him, making him collect even more dolls to satisfy the unsettled soul.
Legends have it that she has become entangled in the water lilies in the canal, and reports vary as to whether Berrera found her body or drowned many years earlier. According to Berrera’s close acquaintances, his behaviour changes as if disturbed by something that the naked eye cannot see. It may have happened because Berrera failed to save the girl.
After Berrera spent 50 years collecting the dolls hanging on the island, he died in the same place where the girl’s body was found. The locals believe that Berrera’s spirit has been together with the spirits on the island.
Since Berrera died in 2001, many tourists have started visiting the island, and they think it has uniqueness. Although Berrera’s behaviour is commendable in the eyes of the local people in Mexico, the island is still a horrifying destination.
Sources: Guinness World Record @ YouTube, Discovery, Isla De Las Muñecas