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Topics: Travel, World News
Anish Vij
The story behind Mexico's 'The Island of the Dolls' is certainly a tragic one.
Originally owned by Julián Santana Barrera, who passed away from a heart attack in 2001, the island is full of hanging dolls, which are said to be haunted.
Take a look below:
Located in the channels of Xochimilco, the eerie sight is only accessible by boat (trajinera) and takes an hour an a half from Embarcadero Cuemanco.
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Legend has it that in the 1950s, Barrera opted to move to the island with the hopes of escaping the daily routine of a chaotic society.
Upon arrival, he found the body of a young girl lying face-down lifeless in the water.
Soon after, he supposedly noticed a doll, which was floating in the same area.
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To show his respects to the young girl, Barrera hung the doll up to a tree.
One night he started hearing unexplainable noises and feared that the young girl had returned to his island to haunt him.
Barrera's response was to collect and display dolls all around the island to appease the supposed ghost.
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He would continue this for 50 years until his death.
What's even more scary is his body was reportedly found by his nephew, in the exact same spot the little girl had drowned in.
People believe the island to be cursed, while some think that Julian's spirit has returned to haunt the Island of the Dolls, along with many others which already existed there.
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"The original first doll, alongside a few other of Santana Barrera’s 'favourite dolls, are all placed together on a shrine in a shed in the Island of the Dolls," Kat Bello at The Travel says.
"Despite the fact it was never built to be so, today the Island of the Dolls is a popular tourist attraction, bringing ghost hunters, adventurers, macabre lovers, and particularly courageous visitors from all over the world.
"In 1987, Xochimilco was declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco, which significantly upped the tourism in the area.
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"After Julián Santana Barrera’s death in the early 2000s, his family took care of the island and made it a tourist attraction. Visitors often leave offerings, like coins, trinkets, and their own dolls on the island."
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