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Haunting

Island of the Dolls

Thousands of decaying dolls hang from trees on this island. Don Julian found a drowned girl and her doll. He hung dolls to appease her spirit for 50 years. Then he drowned in the same spot.

1950 - Present
Xochimilco, Mexico City, Mexico
50000+ witnesses

The Island of the Dolls is one of the world’s creepiest locations.

The Origin

According to documented accounts, Don Julian Santana found a drowned girl and her doll in the canal. Felt haunted by her, he began hanging dolls.

The Collection

For 50 years, he hung dolls from trees, finding them in garbage and trading them for produce. Thousands now cover the island.

The Purpose

Julian believed the girl’s spirit needed appeasement and that dolls would protect and honor her. He never stopped. The obsession consumed him.

His Death

In 2001, Julian drowned in the same canal where he found the girl, in the same spot. Coincidence?

The Experience

Visitors describe how the dolls seem to watch, their eyes following you. Whispers are heard, movement glimpsed. It’s deeply unsettling.

The Dolls

Their appearance is decayed and dirty, missing limbs with eyes blank or missing. They hang everywhere and are terrifying at night.

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