Man explores ‘most haunted island in the world’ with tragic backstory that can only be reached by boat
A travel vlogger unearthed new sights on the world's 'most haunted island' and said that despite it's tragic backstory, it was 'very beautiful'.
YouTuber Alexander Travelbum documented his visit to the Isla De Las Munecas, meaning the Island of the Dead Dolls, in Mexico back in 2020.
He filmed himself as he took a boat through the water before reaching the now-abandoned island which harbours a 'haunting story'.
It certainly sounds creepier on paper, with hundreds of dolls hanging on trees and walls on the island which once gained notoriety in the 1940s when used as the set for María Candelaria.
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It sits between the water channels of Xochimilco, south of Mexico City, and is covered with hundreds of the old, broken, and rotting dolls.
Costing 50 pesos per person (£2.17), Alexander documented his arrival on the island by boat, and quickly found himself surrounded by the figures hanging from trees and abandoned buildings.
While sailing on a private boat along the canals, he said: "One of the cool things that you're going to see on the way on the boat rides are these floating gardens that are only really held together by the roots of trees."
He then issued a warning to travellers, adding: "Supposedly there are two, three fake doll islands these days, so you have to watch out for that when you come to Xochimilco.
"You know that they're fake if you can see it right from the boat really easily." He went on to pan the camera around to show dolls hanging on a line which could have been spotted from the water, indicating an unofficial island.
"We took our trajinera (boat) through a series of canals for about an hour and we didn't really see any other boats around. Then we found what we're looking for," he explained.
This has been on my bucket list for so long."
As he arrived, he described his short visit and comically said: "It's not creepy at all, it's very beautiful beautiful island.
"It's the perfect place to go if you want to party, hang out with a loved one, maybe spend Valentines day and have a romantic getaway."
He continued: "So we highly recommend that you come here. It is a once-in-a-lifetime experience."
A woman in the video with him then added: "That was one of the most interesting things I've ever seen in my whole life."
A tragic backstory
But there is more to the island than just visiting to see some old dolls eerily hanging around.
Its history is far more tragic. A reclusive owner of the land, named Don Julián Santana Barrera, had first started the collection in the 1950s after it is thought he tragically found a drowned girl in the canal.
He had hung the first doll of many to a tree to respect the girl's spirit. It later became popular with dark tourism, with many of the dolls also linked to local dark legend tales.
However, evidence of the girl's existence has yet to be confirmed.
Speaking of it's history, Alexander said: "The story is that this man named Don Julián, he lived here and one day he found the body of a girl floating along this river.
"After he found the girl, he also found a doll floating down the river which he thought belonged to her and so he hung up that doll and started hearing voices.
"He thought he was haunted by these spirits or the spirit of the girl so started to hang up all of these dolls whenever he could find them all around his house and the island to warn off spirits."
After Barrera's death in 2001, his family opened the island to the public as a tourist attraction.
It was said that his nephew had found him lifeless in the canal after claiming the mermaids in the water had been calling for him.
The grounds also host three huts, and a small museum with articles from local newspapers about both the island and the previous owner as well as old tales.
Topics: Travel, World News
James Holt