The Island of Dolls, also known as La Isla de las Munecas, is a spooky tourist attraction in Xochimilco, south of Mexico City, where visitors are greeted by thousands of mutilated dolls hanging from ceilings, trees, boats and fences. The island is uninhabited by humans, and there is no electricity or running water, while concrete constructions are forbidden, leaving only wooden shops as the only buildings on the island.
According to local folklore, the dolls have made the island their home since 1950 when a child fell into the water from a chinampa, an artificial island built on fresh water for agricultural purposes. A local man, Don Julian Santana, tried to help the child, but she died from drowning.
After the incident, Santana reported seeing strange and dark things on the island and began hanging dolls all around the island and the chinampas, believing it would scare away the soul of the drowned child and other spirits haunting him. Santana collected dolls for over 17 years from trash cans, dumpsters, friends, and the channels, and the majority of the dolls are old, burnt, mutilated, or deformed.
The dolls have made the island one of the most terrifying places in the world, as there have been reports of paranormal activity, including the unexplained cries of a young lady or a moan, which can still be heard today.
