The perfect mix of thrills and curiosity, this grim, weird, hair-raising freaky place is a one of a kind tourist attraction. This small island lies not far from Mexico City, bearing quite a load of forbidding and ghastly dolls hanging all over trees and buildings, and sitting on dark corners and nooks. The first doll originated from Don Julian Santana, a man who found a little girl who drowned floating in a canal, followed by a doll floating adrift.
Santana’s first doll
He hung the doll in reverence to the girl’s spirit. Then he hung one more doll, then put another in place, kept on until he got obsessed and got crazy, adding more and more anywhere he could, day or night. Then one day, he is found dead.
Santana died of a heart attack in 2001, and a small white cross near the water marks his grave. His cousin Anastasio now lives on the island, running it as a tourist attraction. “The spirit of the little girl is still here,” he says. “It’s important not to remove the dolls.”
At night, he says, they come alive. “They will move their heads and whisper to each other. It’s very spooky, but I have gotten used to it.”
