The Island of Dolls, Mexico
The beautiful man-made canals of Xochimico (chinampas), near Mexico City were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987. However, they harbour a macabre secret. Hanging from the trees of one of the floating islands you'll see the blank eyes of hundreds of decaying dolls staring soullessly back at you, many with severed limbs. According to local legend, the Isla de las Munecas (Island of the Dolls) was created by its caretaker. He discovered the body of a young girl who had drowned, and hung her washed-up doll on a tree to pay his respects. He spent the next fifty years adding to the number of dolls. Since his death in 2001, people have kept the place as he left it.
