What is the story behind the Isle of Dead Dolls?

Want to take a trip to one of the creepiest places in the world? Then head to the Isle of Dead Dolls, a small island located in the canals of Xochimico, a borough near Mexico City. Locally, the location is known as La Isla de las Muñecas, and has become a go-to destination for those seeking an unusual and creepy adventure.

Upon arriving, visitors are greeted with hundreds of dolls that litter the island, with most hanging on trees or mounted on structures. However, these dolls would never be described as cute and adorable. Instead, they have severed limbs and missing eyes, and are grimy and battered due to exposure to the elements.

The entire island looks straight out of a horror movie and has drawn the attention of many, including ghost hunters and those interested in the macabre. The Isle of Dead Dolls has an interesting origin that combines history with folklore.

The history of the island

Xochimilco is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that still has some remnants left from the Aztecs. It has a network of canals that lead to several manmade islands, which at some point became a refuge for revolutionaries and religious people who were shunned. Some of those people were said to have been killed in the area.

In the 1950s, Don Julian Santana Barrera, a native of Xochimilco, went to live on one of the islands as a caretaker. While there, he found the body of little girl who had seemingly drowned in the canal. Legend has it that after this discovery, the crops he was cultivating suddenly died. He tried different methods to salvage them but nothing worked. Barrera believed that the spirit of the young girl was haunting him. When Barrera found the drowned girl, he also came across a doll that he assumed was hers. He hung the doll from a tree as an offering to the girl’s spirit and built an altar inside his home.

Collecting dolls became an obsession for Barrera. He hung every doll he came across all over the island until there were hundreds of them, and the small island became known as the Isle of Dead Dolls. Barrera died in 2001 of a heart attack, and coincidentally, his body was found at the location where he discovered the little girl’s body all those years back.

The Isle of Dead Dolls today

The dolls that Barrera collected and displayed still reside on the island to this day. The Isle of Dead Dolls has become a tourist destination after his death, and many who have visited claim that the dolls, or the island itself, is haunted. There are stories of little girl spirits luring visitors to the water to drown them. The island also has a rich history, and a Spanish conqueror reportedly massacred 30,000 Aztecs that inhabited the area and left their bodies in the canals. 

Many people visit the island to look at the dolls and make offerings to the spirits. The island has been featured on TV shows, such as Ghost Adventures and Lore.