La isla de munecas
What is the Isla de Muñecas? The Isla de Munecas is an island that is full of haunted dolls, but the island once belonged to a man, Julian Santana Barrera. Don Julian had a wife and kids but he left them to go and live on an island located in a chinampa of the Laguna de Tequila, located in the channels of Xochimilco, south of the center of Mexico City, Mexico.
Who was the caretaker of the island?
Don Julian Santana Barrera was the caretaker of the island many years ago. According to la Isla de Munecas, he had a wife and kids but in his late 20’s he abandoned his family to go live on an island. In the 1950’s he moved to the island. The day he moved onto the island he claimed that he saw a little girl drowning in the lake but he failed to save her. The next day he saw a doll floating in the same spot that the little girl died in.
Don Julian hung up the doll on a tree in memory of the girl but it is said that after that, the little girl’s spirit haunted him and in order to please her he hung up more and more dolls. Unfortunately Don Julian passed away 50 years after taking care of the island. Don Julian was found dead by drowning in the same place where the little girl died.
The legend of the island
According to Discovery, the legend of the island claims that a little girl drowned in the lake. Some say that after Don Julian found the first doll the very next day another doll appeared and the little girl’s spirit haunts the island.
It is said that a day before Don Julian passed away his nephew came to visit him. They sat in the canal fishing but Don Julian claimed that he heard mermaids singing to him calling for him in the water. After his nephew heard that, he left the island and the next day when he returned he found Don Julian’s body on the same spot of the lake where the little girl died. Don Julian had happened to drown, too.
People say that the little girl’s spirit caused it but some of Don Julian’s relatives say that since Don Julian wasn’t of sound mind he could have made up the little girl’s death too, but nobody knows the truth.
La Isla de Munecas currently
According to Atlas Obscura, La Isla de Munecas is now a famous tourist attraction to visit. It opened in 2001, when Don Julian’s relatives opened it for the public. It has hundreds of dolls and it has some huts, including the one where Don Julian slept in, and a little museum displaying articles and newspapers. In the room that Don Julian slept in it has the doll that was his favorite, “Agustina.”
Giancarlo • Jan 13, 2026 at 2:30 pm
I thought this was an amazing piece that was very creative!
Desiree • Jan 13, 2026 at 2:16 pm
Something I learned was Don Julian hung up the doll on a tree in memory of the girl and the girl’s spirit haunted him.
chris • Jan 13, 2026 at 2:07 pm
this is cool I didn’t know he died by drowning
Allison • Jan 13, 2026 at 9:58 am
This is a really amazing piece I’ve ever read and I would read it over and over again.
emily • Jan 13, 2026 at 9:50 am
Something I learned is Don Julian stayed in the island for 50 years.
Daniela Ramirez • Jan 13, 2026 at 9:47 am
Something I learned from this article was that Don Julian had died in the same spot and same way the little girl did.
jana • Jan 12, 2026 at 2:13 pm
I was suprised by how Don julian died in the same spot of the water that the little girl drowned
Sarai • Jan 12, 2026 at 2:03 pm
Something I learned is Don Julian abandoned his family to go live on an island.