The Island of the Dolls: A respectful ode to the afterlife or a dark tourist destination?
Pediophobia, the fear of dolls, is something many can understand, likely tied to the eerie concept of the uncanny valley. Dolls often trigger a deep sense of unease, perhaps because the movie industry has long used them to incite fear. However, from an objective standpoint, dolls are simply objects meant for children to enjoy. Somewhere in the middle of these perspectives lies the Island of the Dolls.
The Island of the Dolls exists in a realm beyond spiritual and paranormal speculation and has something of a harrowing backstory. The legend suggests that a man named Julian Santana Barrera once lived on the island alone. One day, he discovered a doll floating in the canal, believing it to be left behind by a girl who had drowned. In an attempt to free her spirit, he hung the doll from a tree.
What started out as a mere act of respect soon turned sinister, however, when Barrera began to believe that the doll was possessed by the girl’s spirit. He collected various other dolls to hang up in an attempt to ward off evil spirits. Of course, the dolls he collected weren’t exactly pristine, and many were chipped, cracked, dirty, or missing limbs.
Adding to the mystery is that Barrera died in 2001 and was found after having drowned in the same spot where he believed the original girl had died. The story of the Island of the Dolls remained relatively understated until Emilio Fernández decided to use it as the location for his romance movie María Candelaria. However, it became open to the public following Barrera’s death, and soon, people from all over flocked to catch a glimpse of the place that once belonged to the mysterious doll collector.
For those who visit, there are three huts and a museum displaying artefacts and articles about Barrera and the island. However, the most intriguing aspect is that all of the dolls are still there, hanging from trees and displayed across the island, including Agustina, which is said to have been Barrera’s favourite.
Of course, the story behind the island and the enigma surrounding it has caused many members of the public and paranormal investigators to become drawn to its spiritual side. Some have even reported strange experiences, including dolls moving, eyes blinking, or some whispering to each other. If the stories are true, there has been a lot of tragedy along this channel, so buying into the ghost stories isn’t too difficult an endeavour, depending on whether or not you believe.
That said, the fact that the island’s history remains almost an entire mystery allows imagination to run wild. While it’s uncertain whether Barrera did come across a deceased girl in the canal as she was never found or recovered, the owner himself did die in the same spot due to unspecified circumstances. With that, there are reports that women during the Cortez time would flee to the canals to hide, many of which died by suicide instead of being caught, per NY Post.
While this still wouldn’t necessarily warrant any strange, inexplicable activity on the island, Barrera’s great nephew, Rogelio Sanchez Santana, explained that it was only after Barrera found the drowned girl that things started to take a turn for the worse. “The spirit of the girl was living in sorrow,” explained. “In the mornings, Julian started seeing ghosts, and one day woke up and found all his crops had died. He tried many things to improve his crops but he couldn’t because the spirit damaged it. He became more and more scared.”
Over the following years, Barrera’s collection amounted to over 1,000 dolls, some of which he discovered in the surrounding area and others given to him by neighbours or visitors. Many reports say he died of natural causes in 2001, but Santana maintains there was something much darker at play. “The spirit of the girl came to him and dragged him into the water,” he claimed.
Since 2001, the island has been a focal point of investigation for both believers in the afterlife and those intrigued by its morbid narrative. It’s easy to understand why, but whether anyone will ever know the whole truth about this fascinating location remains uncertain. One thing we can be sure of, however, is that Santana believes only those who once resided there hold the power to understand it the most. In his words, when he passes on, “The ownership, I leave to the dead”.