The legend of Doll island

In the South of Mexico city is the area of Xochimilco (Xochimilco — "the Flower place" in the language of Nahuatl) is the most ancient settlement of the Aztecs. Here, on the floating Islands of lake Texcoco, the Indians cultivated flowers to the Imperial Palace of the Aztecs, and the harvest of fruits and vegetables, made three times a year, to satisfy the requests of Mexico until the early twentieth century.

This settlement is surrounded by numerous legends and mysterious stories, what are some axolotl heroes from the eponymous short story by Julio Cortazar. Here's one of those legends.

In the mid 70-ies of XX century on one of the Islands of Xochimilco lived a lonely farmer don Julian Santana Barrera.

On the island he grew fruits and vegetables, and earning a living.

Once near the island of drowned girl and don Julian began to seem the voice of a little girl, crying and groaning drowned haunted the old man.

Don Julian began to catch from the canal lost or discarded dolls and hanging them on trees.

Dolls scare away the restless spirit of the girl and defended the owner of the island from evil spirits.

25 years have brought to the secluded shores of another unnecessary toy, and don Julian tirelessly hung all found, adding to the collection of plastic heads, hands and feet, seized from nearby garbage dumps.

Don Julian with his strange passion was feared by neighbors.

About the farmer cared only for his nephew, who found him dead, drowned in the same place as the poor girl, at the age of 80 years.