One of the eerie attractions of Mexico is located among the famous canals of Xochimilco, almost next to the country's capital. The Island of the Dolls has long been considered a cursed place that the locals avoid. It mostly attracts tourists who love thrills.
The Island of the Dolls occupies a small patch of land where stunted little trees grow here and there. Broken dolls hang from their nearly dry branches. Some with arms or legs torn off, others – with smashed heads, still others – with their eyes gouged out. When the wind gusts, these toys begin to knock against each other. And the swaying crippled dolls involuntarily make a loud, unpleasant sound, reminiscent of the clatter of fallen bones.
This also vaguely resembled a scene from some apocalypse. The monster-dolls with empty eye sockets looked from a distance like little hanged men. And almost every tourist who has visited the Island of the Dolls left here with heavy feelings.
The creator of the Island of the Dolls has long been dead. But to this day ordinary Mexicans are afraid even to mention his name. They believe that Julian was connected with evil forces, which once pushed this exemplary family man onto a dark path. Indeed, Barrera had a family, a job and was no different from other residents. They say that everything in his life changed when he was unable to save a girl drowning in the canal. And, according to relatives, Julian, apparently from deep distress, simply lost his mind.
For half a century Barrera collected his eerie exposition. Judging by his behavior, it was as if he felt guilty before the drowned girl and tried to appease her spirit. Julian lived in a hut and, between his main occupation – caring for the Island of the Dolls – grew fruits and vegetables. His nephew came quite often: he took the harvest grown by his uncle to the city to exchange it for dolls.
A fatal coincidence: the tragic story of the Lonergan couple, who were left behind in the open sea Barrera's collection grew day by day with broken and ugly exhibits. He was probably already thinking about expanding the boundaries of the Island of the Dolls. But one day Julian Barrera, as if led by some outside force, would meet his death in the very same ill-fated canal where the girl had drowned.
The locals swore that she never forgave the creator of the Island of the Dolls. Barrera's nephew turned out to be an enterprising man: he set up a profitable business, taking over his collection. For to the many tourists, the Island of the Dolls is a place where you can give yourself a thrill and then, exaggerating a little, tell your family and friends in the evenings about the horrors of the enchanted place.
