Inside Mexico’s haunting Island of the Dolls: A girl drowned here. Then hundreds of dolls began appearing. The haunting story behind this mysterious place

Deep in the waterways of Mexico City lies an island unlike almost anywhere else in the world. Known as the Island of the Dolls, it is covered with hundreds of weathered, broken and mutilated dolls hanging from trees, buildings and boats. The eerie sight is linked to a decades-old local legend about a girl who drowned and a reclusive man who spent years collecting dolls. Today, the mysterious island attracts visitors interested in dark tourism.

Where is Mexico’s Island of the Dolls?

The Island of the Dolls, Isla de las Muñecas, is a chinampa in the Laguna de Tequila, located among the channels of Xochimilco, south of central Mexico City. A chinampa is an artificial island built on freshwater for agricultural purposes. While the area is known for its waterways and floating gardens, this particular island has gained worldwide attention for a far darker reason.

Thousands of dolls of different sizes, styles and colours can be found across the island. Some hang from trees, while others are displayed inside wooden structures or attached to boats along the shore.


According to ABC News, visitors arriving on the island encounter dolls everywhere. There is no electricity or running water, while concrete construction is prohibited. The few buildings are made from wood, and their interiors are covered with old and damaged dolls. Many have missing limbs or heads, while others are burnt, dirty or badly weathered.

The story of the girl who supposedly drowned

The story surrounding the dolls dates back to around 1950. According to local folklore, a young girl fell into the water from a chinampa and drowned. A local man named Don Julián Santana reportedly jumped into the water in an attempt to save her, but was unable to rescue the child. According to Guinness World Records, Santana later claimed that he heard the spirit of the girl calling for her doll. He said he found a doll near the place where he had heard the voice and hung it from a nearby tree as an offering to the girl’s ghost.

What happened next became the foundation of the island’s eerie legend.

Why did Don Julián Santana collect hundreds of dolls?

As per Guinness World Records, Santana claimed that he began finding more dolls around the island after hanging up the first one. Whether these dolls actually appeared mysteriously remains part of the legend. Santana eventually began collecting dolls himself, believing they could help calm the girl’s spirit.

But he did not seek out new or attractive toys. Many of the dolls he collected were already damaged, with missing limbs, eyes or heads. Their appearance became even more unsettling as years of exposure to wind and weather left them cracked, dirty and distorted. Santana continued collecting dolls for roughly 50 years.

He collected dolls from canals and rubbish

As per Atlas Obscura, Santana left his wife and child more than 50 years ago and moved to an island on Teshuilo Lake in the Xochimilco canals. There are different versions of what happened to the girl. While some accounts say that she drowned, most people who knew Santana, including relatives, believed he had imagined the girl.

Regardless of whether the story was real, Santana devoted much of his life to honouring the supposed lost child. Atlas Obscura reports that Santana collected dolls discarded in the canals and found in rubbish near his home. He was also said to have traded produce he grew for dolls from local residents. Rather than repairing or cleaning them, he displayed the dolls in the condition in which he found them. Some were missing eyes or limbs and were covered in dirt.

Even dolls that were initially intact became distorted over time because of the island’s harsh weather.

The dolls became Santana’s protectors

The strange collection eventually spread throughout the island. According to Atlas Obscura, Santana also filled his cabin with dolls and dressed some of them in items such as headdresses and sunglasses. While many visitors found the island disturbing, Santana reportedly viewed the dolls differently. He considered them beautiful protectors and welcomed visitors, showing them around the island in exchange for a small photography fee.

Over time, the collection transformed the isolated island into the unsettling place it is known as today.

What happened to Don Julián Santana?

The story took another eerie turn in 2001. According to Atlas Obscura, Don Julián Santana was found drowned in the same area where he believed the young girl had died. His death further deepened the island’s reputation and added another unsettling chapter to its already mysterious history.

Are the dolls haunted?

The island continues to attract visitors fascinated by its unusual history and supernatural reputation. As per reports by Mexico News Daily, the island’s caretaker and Santana’s nephew, Javier Romero Santa, claims that unexplained sounds can still be heard there.

Speaking to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation in 2022, he said that during nighttime tours they hear what sounds like a young woman crying or moaning. Whether those sounds are supernatural, natural or simply part of the island’s atmosphere remains a matter of belief.

Guinness World Records recognised the island

The Island of the Dolls has become a popular destination for dark tourism because of its unusual collection and the legend surrounding its origins. In 2022, Guinness World Records recognised the island as hosting the world’s largest collection of haunted dolls.

Today, the dolls remain scattered across the island, their cracked faces and missing body parts creating the eerie landscape that has made this remote corner of Mexico City internationally famous.