Uncover the Spine-Chilling Secrets Of Mexico’s Eerie Doll Island!

In the serene Mexico City, there lay a borough of Xochimilco known as the 'Island of the Dolls.' It was situated 28 km south of Mexico City and was just one acre in size, filled with creepy, decaying dolls. Many people reported seeing the dolls blink and whisper, which scared most tourists away.

Gerardo Ibarra, co-founder of Ruta Origen, a Mexican travel company, told the New York Post , "During the time of Cortez, many people fled here to Xochimilco and hid on the canals. A lot of these people were women and children hiding from the conquistadores. Many women killed themselves rather than be caught and raped [by the Spanish]."

Knewz.com explored the story dating back to the mid-20th century when Don Julian Santana Barrera left his wife and children to live alone on an island in Teshuilo Lake. Shortly after moving, he saw the body of a young girl drowning in the lake. Feeling scared, he took a doll and hung it from a tree to honor the spirit of the girl. Rogelio Sanchez Santana, the great-nephew of Barrera and the guardian of the island, explained, "In the mornings, Julian started seeing ghosts, and one day he woke up to find all his crops had died. He tried many things to improve his crops, but he couldn’t because the spirit damaged them. He became more and more scared."

He became so frightened that to protect himself, he built an altar and started collecting dolls, hoping to pacify the girl's spirit. Over the years, he hung more than 1,000 dolls, which were seen as old, dirty, and creepy. The dolls were hung on trees and buildings, and some were even nailed to the walls. Things turned abnormal when Barrera suffered a heart attack in 2001 and was found at the same spot in the lake. Rogelio suggested, "The spirit of the girl came to him and dragged him into the water."

After Barrera's death, his brother Anastacio became the guardian of the Island of the Dolls. However, he and his family decided to live 20 minutes away. Visitors often shared their experiences and the strange energies they felt at the spot. José Pérez, a visitor from Texas, shared with ABC News , "It felt very calm, but I felt like maybe at night it would be pretty spooky with all these dolls looking at you; they were all around you."

Another visitor, Teresa Reina from Nayarit, visited with her three daughters and said, "If it felt a little weird during the day, just imagine at night when everything was silent, and you heard a strange noise. I didn’t know; I wouldn’t sleep here, not even if I were paid." Many, including Rogelio, claimed to have seen shadows at night, with the dolls’ eyes moving and whispering. Additionally, tour guide González Franco commented, "The concentration of energy there was strong; you could feel it. That is why the Island of the Dolls ranked as one of the top most terrifying places in the world."