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Oddest Tourist Attraction Ever? (PHOTOS)

First Posted: 10/01/10 05:18 PM ET   Updated: 05/25/11 06:55 PM ET

Add this to the list of the world's most bizarre tourist attractions: Mexico's Island of the Dolls, south of Mexico City is, you guessed it, an island of dolls. But not just regular, good ole Cabbage Patch Kids; they are creepy, tormented-looking dolls that hang from trees. Our friends at Buzz Feed introduced us to this most bizarre place.

Of course, anything this creepy has to have a story behind it. Apparently, legend has it that three girls went swimming here, one drowned and now the spirit of that child haunts the island. A loner by the name of Julian Santana came to live on the island (despite being married at the time) and brought dolls as an offering to the dead girl, according to the aptly-named site odditycentral.com.

According to a website that produces tours of the island, Santana harbored a fresh garden on the island and people came equipped with dolls in exchange for fresh produce. The spirit of the dead girl, like so many the traditions in Mexico, is celebrated.

 
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Add this to the list of the world's most bizarre tourist attractions: Mexico's Island of the Dolls, south of Mexico City is, you guessed it, an island of dolls. But not just regular, good ole Cabbage ...
Add this to the list of the world's most bizarre tourist attractions: Mexico's Island of the Dolls, south of Mexico City is, you guessed it, an island of dolls. But not just regular, good ole Cabbage ...
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
tlaltecuhtli
129 Fans
06:16 PM on 10/01/2010
It's not an island, it is a chinampa ... part of the uniquely constructed pre-Conquest agricultural land created in situ from the bed of Lakes Chalco and Xochimilco in the south of what is now Mexico City - the one time Tenochtitlan. The extensive chinampas, intensively cultivated, produced enough food to feed the entire Valley of Mexico, estimated at its pre-Conquest peak to be around 2 million people. There is a variety of corn that has grown in these chinampas for so long that is is now its own variety. Julian Santana was not, per se, a loner. And this offering, while distinct, is none the less in keeping with the sentiments of Mexico in terms of acknowledging and caring for the spirits of those who have passed. Don Julian himself passed on not too long ago, and his son now maintains the famous Isla de las mun~ecas, It is a peaceful spot in the midst of a unique and fiercely beautiful landscape of great historicity.
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Red45
We can turn the tide
3473 Fans
08:21 PM on 10/01/2010
Thanks for the extra information. Makes me want to go back to Mexico City--last time was 1970. I love Mexico, Mexican traditions and, most of all, the Mexican people. They're wonderful.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
tlaltecuhtli
129 Fans
08:39 PM on 10/01/2010
Ooops! Forgot to add: this is one of the famous "floating gardens" of Xochimilco, and if I am not mistaken, they have been named as part of the "Patrimony of Humanity" by UNESCO. It is sensational, but to introduce it only as something to be sensationalized is really pitiful. Go to Mexico City. Have a guide take you on a weekend to one of the embarcaderos where the the flat, rectangular boats that are poled like Venetian gondolas, ply the water. In the more tourist areas - Mexican tourists included - these boats - chalupas, from which the snack gets its name - are decked out in colors and flowers. Or be more adventurous and go to a working embarcadero and hire a boatman to pole you around the chinampas where the flowers and food are grown. And then end up at the Saturday flower market in Xochimilco. You will not regret it.
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