© Shutterstock

"Isla de las Muñecas" - Spanish for "Island of the Dolls," this floating garden is located in Xochimilco, one of 16 boroughs within Mexico City.

© iStock

Xochimilco - Xochimilco is best known for its canals which connect the borough's different neighborhoods or villages.

© Shutterstock

Island of the Dolls - The Island of the Dolls is one of those villages within Xochimilco. The villages are known as 'chinampas,' artificial islands built by the Aztecs in pre-Hispanic times. The unique place has guaranteed Xochimilco a spot as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

© Shutterstock

The dolls - But this tiny island stands out from the others in a very particular way: it's filled with hundreds of decapitated, mutilated, hanging dolls.

© iStock

The dolls -

The dolls, as well as their limbs, can be seen hanging from trees, fences, and basically any available surfaces. But who put them there?

© Getty Images

Don Julián Santana Barrera - In the 1950s, Don Julián moved to the island to live his life in peace and isolation. Despite having a wife and children, he chose to live there by himself.

© iStock

The drowned girl - Legend says that Don Julián found the body of a little girl who had drowned in one of Xochimilco's canals.

© iStock

Floating doll -

After retrieving the little girl's body, the hermit spotted a doll floating nearby.

© Shutterstock

A tribute -

Assuming it belonged to the girl, the man hung the doll on a nearby tree in honor of the little one's tortured soul.

© Shutterstock

Guilt -

Don Julián is said to have been overtaken by guilt over his failure to save the girl before she drowned.

© Shutterstock

Lore -

He started to believe she was haunting the island. Don Julián sought out ways to please her.

© Getty Images

More dolls -

How do you please a drowned girl? You hang up more dolls, or at least that was Don Julián's train of thought.

The man began collecting dolls from trash piles from around the borough. He even found some floating in the canals.

© Shutterstock

Doll trade -

Some locals say Don Julián went as far as trading produce for dolls.

© Getty Images

Collection -

Little by little, he populated his tiny island with dolls in honor of the girl.

© Getty Images

Shrine -

Don Julián collected so many dolls that he even filled his cabin with them. He is said to have dressed them and adorned them with headdresses and other accessories, as if they were saints in a shrine. The original dolls can still be seen around the island.

© Getty Images

Creepy or special? -

More than 60 years have passed since he hung the first doll so most of them are decaying, which creepily makes them look like corpses.

Many locals found the island's dolls frightening, with their missing limbs and matted hair. But Don Julián thought they were beautiful and he didn't mind visitors—he would proudly show them around.

© Getty Images

Don Julián's death -

Don Julián maintained the island until his death in 2001. Can you guess how he died?

© Getty Images

Coincidence? -

Some say his body was found drowned in the same spot he said he found the girl all those years ago.

© Shutterstock

Cause of death -

But his cause of death is contested. Some sources say he died of a heart attack.

© Shutterstock

Did the little girl really drown? -

Many say the little drowned girl actually existed. But many others, including Don Julián's own family, believe she was imaginary.

© Getty Images

Lonely soul -

His family says he began acting as if moved by an invisible force and his whole life became about the dolls.

© Getty Images

Haunted -

Visitors to the island claim they can hear the dolls whisper, and some even say the dolls move their heads and limbs.

© Getty Images

Haunted or not, it's creepy -

Whether you believe the dolls are possessed or not is up to you. The fact is that the island doesn't need paranormal activity to be among the creepiest places on Earth—the strange dolls themselves suffice.

© Getty Images

Tourist attraction -

Following Don Julián's death in 2001, the place has attracted tourists who wish to witness his tragic legacy, and they often bring more dolls to hang around.

© Getty Images

Island of the Dolls -

Don Julián never intended for the place to become a tourist attraction, but its uniqueness was bound to attract attention.

© Getty Images

Visit the island -

Tourists seeking to visit the eerie island can do so from Embarcadero Cuemanco or Embarcadero Fernando Celada, where boats take you there for an hourly fee.

© Shutterstock

Visit the island - The island is located about 17 mi (27 km) from downtown Mexico City, and it takes about four hours total to get there and back. 

© Shutterstock

Popular culture -

The island has been featured in TV shows, including on the Travel Channel show 'Ghost Adventures' and the Amazon Prime show 'Lore.'

Sources: (Mystery Facts) (Atlas Obscura) (My San Antonio)

See also: Dark tourism: following a gruesome travel itinerary

© Shutterstock