Case file · Haunting
Island of the Dolls
A chinampa in the canals of Xochimilco, Mexico City, hung with hundreds of decaying dolls collected by its reclusive owner, Don Julián Santana Barrera.
2001 CE · 19.27, -99.09 · status: legend
The account
Barrera began hanging dolls in the mid-20th century; after his death in 2001 his family opened the island to visitors, and Guinness recognized it in 2022 as the largest collection of 'haunted' dolls.
The sceptical view
The haunting is a story attached to one man's eccentric collection, and it now supports a dark-tourism trade.
Connections in the atlas
- Casa Matusita
- Island of the Dolls (Isla de las Muñecas)
- Poveglia island
- La Llorona