It is an oddity, quirky enough to have inspired a more readily accessible knock-off.
The real Doll Island rests amid the winding canals of Xochimilco, a Mexico City district that harks back to the city’s Aztec roots, and in 1987 was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
According to lore, a man once lived a solitary life on the island and began collecting and displaying dolls on buildings and trees, a custom variously described as a tribute to the spirit of a girl who drowned in nearby waters, eccentricity or some combination of the two.
The man, Don Julian Santana Barrera, died in 2001, and is buried on the island, having left behind dozens of dolls grouped around shrines or tied or propped in trees
Access to Doll Island is by a flat-bottomed boat poled through the canals. A caretaker collects a small fee from passengers when they step on land; once there, visitors are free to wander undisturbed.
The area – threatened by urban sprawl, pollution and rapacious water lilies – is a popular weekend destination, with mariachi bands at the ready to pole over for a concert. Famous for its floating gardens, Xochimilco is now an ecological reserve.