Enter Mexico’s Island of the Dolls and reveal the story behind it

What kind of story is hidden in Mexico’s Haunted Doll Island, known as one of the top ten most terrifying places in the world? Every year, hundreds of photographers and people who like to pursue sex... Explore an island filled with dolls that was never meant to be a tourist attraction.

After a 2-hour flight from Mexico City, passengers will arrive deep in the woods, where there is a nightmare-like scene: thousands of dismembered dolls hanging from the trees. on or hidden in the woods.

The dolls were placed by Julian Santana Barrera, a reclusive Mexican. He believes these dolls can comfort a little girl who died here 50 years ago, but whose soul still remains here.

Julian moved to the woods after the little girl drowned in a nearby canal. He claimed to hear the little girl's painful screams and footsteps coming from the darkness.

Julian died mysteriously in the woods 14 years ago. Nowadays, when many tourists visit, they say they hear whispers at night and feel that the eyes of the dolls in the trees are always staring at them.

According to one website, Julian found the little girl's body in the river and blamed himself for not saving her life.

He later found a doll floating in the river, decided it belonged to the dead little girl, and hung it on a tree as a mark of respect. The practice of hanging dolls on trees began at that time.

Julian began to hear whispers, footsteps, and women's painful wails coming from the darkness. But Julian’s home is deep in the woods of Xochimil, far from town.

Driven by fear, Julian began hanging dismembered toys from trees to protect himself. Over the next 50 years, he began decorating the woods with broken toys, hoping to appease the little girl's soul.

He hung hundreds of toys on trees and walls, some of which were missing many body parts. Julian lived like a hermit in the woods until his nephew discovered in 2011 that he had also drowned in the river where the doll was found 50 years earlier.

According to a Mexican website, after being abandoned by his girlfriend, Julian moved to the edge of town near the woods, growing vegetables and flowers and selling them in the town. But he never spoke to anyone.

However, according to many reports, the dead little girl may never have existed, and may have been a figment of Julian's imagination after years of living alone. People who knew Julian well said he had been transformed by some invisible force.

According to Julian's family, in fact, Julian believed that the island was occupied by the spirit of the little girl's body he found in the river. His family now manages the island, which has been turned into a tourist attraction.

Even after Julian passed away, many visitors brought more dolls. Locals believe the island is "magical" rather than haunted.

Cindy Vasko, a professional photographer who visited the island earlier this year, described it as the creepiest place she had ever been.

She said that she set out from Mexico City and arrived in Xochimilco in the south after a two-hour voyage.

Cindy said that while sailing in the maze-like river, she was surrounded by trees and birds. But when they passed a group of water lilies, everything fell silent.

She said: "When the boat arrived at the end, I was frightened by the hundreds, maybe thousands, of dolls hanging from the trees around me. It was a very uncomfortable sight." .

As soon as she set foot on the island, Cindy said that she found not only dolls on the trees, but also dolls beside the buildings or walls, as if someone was drying the dolls.

Cindy said: "After decades, many dolls have been exposed to the outdoors, so they are decayed or broken. Many dolls are covered with spider webs, or have missing arms and legs. Some dolls It doesn’t even have a body, just its head hanging on the tree.”

Some dolls, according to Cindy, have become homes for large insects, crawling around from the doll’s mouth or eyes. .

The island was declared a World Cultural Heritage in 1987, attracting more tourists. But visitors usually go from excitement to fear when they get here.