The island perches among canals south of Mexico City, and didn't start out moth-eaten, mold-covered, and terrifying… probably.
The story goes that the island’s only inhabitant, Don Julian Santana, found the body of a drowned child in the canal some 50 years ago. He was haunted by her death, so when he saw a doll floating by in the canal soon after, he hung it in a tree to please the girl. He hoped to both appease her tortured soul and protect the island from further evil.
But now, he's passed on—by drowing in the same canal *shudder*—and the hundreds and hundres of well-intentioned tributes hung, tied, and nailed in the trees have become, um, scary enough to attract tourists. Read more about it and see many more photos at WebUrbanist.