History of the ‘Island of the Dolls’ near Mexico City
Who died there and is it haunted? Also, why are there dolls?
In the middle of a lake — Laguna de Teshuilo — just south of Mexico City, there was once an unnamed island with arable land on it.
Don Julian Santana Barrera was born in the Xochimilco borough of Mexico City in 1921. During the 1950s, he moved to that island and became its caretaker. He lived a modest and simple life there growing vegetables.
It is unclear why he moved to such an isolated spot. Some say it was for spiritual reasons and he intended to live like a hermit. Whatever the case, Julian was very religious. He would often visit neighboring towns and communities in order to preach the gospel.
Getting beaten up
At the time — during the 1950s — it was presumed that only anointed priests were allowed to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. As a result, Julian’s preaching was not looked upon with favor by the Catholic communities which he visited. Julian was beaten up a lot, which led to him becoming even more reclusive over the years.
The legend of his life and that of the island starts with the death of a young girl which supposedly occurred around this time. Julian claimed that one day while minding his own…
