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Journey to a Mysterious Island of the Dolls

Island of the Dolls
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Island of the Dolls

 

Different types of dolls

There have been dolls in human society for 4,000 years. We’ll list a few of the many distinct kinds of dolls that exist.

Corn husk doll:- Native Americans created corn husk dolls from dried corn cob leaves. It has no face, only body and limbs are available.

Hopi Kachina doll:- Hopi Kachina dolls are created in the likeness of the messenger spirits known as Kachinas, who visit Hopi communities once a year to bring rain, rejoice, and provide presents for the kids.

Apple doll:- Dried apples are used to make the head of this doll. Its body is covered with an apple that has been cut and allowed to dry.

Fashion doll:- Any doll created to display contemporary fashion is a fashion doll. The first dolls were bisque from France, but the practice of employing dolls to promote fashion is still prevalent today.

Puppet doll:- Any doll that can be animated or controlled by a puppeteer is a puppet. Sock, finger, marionette, rod, and shadow puppets are a few of the several types of puppets.

Paper doll:- Paper dolls are two-dimensional dolls that have been manufactured in several instances throughout human history, but contemporary versions first appeared in Europe around the middle of the eighteenth century.

Peg wooden doll:- This toy is mainly for children. As the doll’s limbs interconnected with pegs, so the name of the doll is a peg. It is from Netherlands and Germany.

Reborn doll:- Reborn dolls are vinyl dolls created to resemble newborn humans. They initially showed up in the 1990s.

Matryoshka doll:- Russian wooden nesting doll is called a Matryoshka doll. It comprises of a group of interlocking dolls that range in size from the largest to the tiniest.

Paddle doll:- Two-dimensional wooden dolls called paddle dolls frequently discovered in Ancient Egyptian tombs. Although they have been around since 2000 BC, it is unclear exactly what they were used for.

 

The mysterious island of the dolls | History of the island of the dolls | Story of the island of dolls

The mysterious Island of the Dolls, also known as “Chinampa” is a man-made island that is one of the primary sights of the channels. It is situated in the channels of Xochimilco, approximately 28 kilometres south of Mexico City’s downtown and very near the Estadio Azteca football stadium. This island is also know as ‘La Isla De Las Muñecas‘. 

Now, you may ask the question – ‘What is Chinampa?’. Chinampa is a kind of farming practiced in the Valley of Mexico in Mesoamerica that uses tiny, rectangular plots of fertile agricultural land to cultivate crops. They constructed for agricultural use on freshwater swamps or lake wetlands, and their proportions guarantee the best moisture retention.

Don Julián Santana Barrera was the original owner of the Island of the Dolls. In the 1950s, when dolls began to arrive on the island at random then the place given its name. One year before naming this island it came to know that the body of a small girl who drowned in the canal found on the bank of the Santampa Chinampas. He found one doll beside the dead body of that young girl and he hung it on a tree to appease her spirit. After that moment, he used to hear some whispering noise and crying of a young girl when he went outside. He also used to find some other dolls hanging on some other trees and sometimes he used to collect dolls to put on the Island of the Dolls so the drowned girl’s spirit might play with them or so she would stop haunting him.

In 2001, Julián Santana Barrera drowned in the canal and his body found in the same place where the dead body of that young girl found. Until his death, he was the sole islander of that island who started the tradition of hanging dolls from trees. Up to the year 2013, the total number of hanging dolls was more than 1500.

Even though it never intended to be so, the Island of the Dolls is now a well-known tourist destination that draws people from all over the world who interested in ghosts, adventure, the macabre, and people who extremely brave. The region saw a considerable increase in tourism after Xochimilco named a World Heritage Site by Unesco in 1987.

Is the Island of the Dolls scary?

Local people insist that the young girl and her toy haunt the island. And sure, it is unsettling. People claim that an unseen force is disturbing the adjacent water and whispering through the trees. However, it merely appears spooky if you visit during the day. The dolls are little more than lovely defenders. Not too frightening.

How to reach the Island of the Dolls?

It will take approximately one and half hour to reach Xochimilco from Mexico city by train. There is the Embarcadero Cuemanco port in Xochimilco. After that, you will need to board a Trajinera, a colorful boat in the gondola style from the port that serves as the primary mode of transportation for tripping to the Island of the Dolls (La Isla De Las Muñecas). It will take one to two hours to go there. It is better to travel on weekdays because weekends are very crowdy. The boat fare is 500 Mexican pesos per person i.e approximately $25 USD. The cost for a museum ticket on the Island of the Dolls is 40 Mexican pesos per person i.e approximately $2 USD.

Why do people go to the island of dolls?

People go to this island of dolls for seeing the doll museum and the spot where Santana Barrera and the girl died. They brought dolls of their own, and as a sign of respect, they hung dolls in honor of them.

When was Don Julian Santana Barrera born?

In 1921, Don Julian Santana Barrera was born in the south of Mexico City’s neighborhood area, Xochimilco. He relocated to that island in the 1950s and took on the role of caretaker. There, he raised vegetables and had a humble, straightforward existence.

Who is the current owner of the Island of the Dolls?

Rogelio Sanchez Santana is the current owner of the Island of the Dolls since 2019. After the death of Julian Santana Barrera and his wife, Rogelio’s uncle Anastacio took ownership of this island. Anastacio died in 2019; after this death, Rogelio Santana took over custody of the island, but he, his wife, and their three children chose to remain on their own island, which is 20 minutes away.

What does hanging burn dolls on trees mean?

Barrera collected toy after doll out of the canals shortly after the girl’s death. Don Julian Santana started hanging them from trees as a kind of protection against the bad spirit and to appease the soul of the deceased girl after becoming sure that this was a mark from it.

Can you go to Island of the Dolls?

Yes, everyone can go to this island.

Is the Island of the Dolls real?

It is, in fact, extremely genuine. Around every tree in the area where a dead girl and a caregiver discovered, dolls hung. Any time of the year, you can witness a floating doll or a doll with its head severed.

Where does Muneca come from?

Worry dolls (also known as problem dolls or Mueca quitapena in Spanish) are tiny, hand-made dolls that are native to Guatemala. Legend has it that when Guatemalan youngsters go to bed every night, they place their Worry Dolls beneath their pillows and talk to them about their troubles.

What exactly is the Island of the Dolls haunting?

Many stories claim to be first-person experiences of strange things that have happened to individuals here. People rumoured to be able to hear the dolls speaking to one another up in the woods. According to reports, sailors who have passed by the island have experienced strange urges to visit it. The dolls, according to local mythology, can move their limbs and legs, roll their eyes at people, and even swivel their heads to stare blankly at an island visitor.

What sights can you see on the Island of the Dolls?

Dolls with severed heads, dangling dolls, and floating dolls. You may lose hours simply admiring more dolls than you ever imagined you’d see in your entire life. Tourists present the drowning girl and other spirits with toys and presents. Consider bringing one of your own dolls to the island. Also, there is a museum full of every kind of doll.

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