Mexico City's Haunted Sites: Isla de las Muñecas & La Castañeda
Mexico City's rich history is filled with tales of the supernatural, and two of its most intriguing sites are Isla de las Muñecas and La Castañeda. Isla de las Muñecas, an island in Xochimilco, is decorated with doll parts to honor girls who died from disease or abuse, and is believed to be haunted by their spirits. Meanwhile, La Castañeda, once a renowned psychiatric clinic, is now a symbol of the past, with its history deeply rooted in the city's transformation.
La Castañeda, originally known as the first psychiatric facility in Mexico, was established on 1 September 1910 as part of the 'Fiestas del Centenario'. The imposing building, constructed in the French style, stood at the Carretera México-Xochimilco in the Barrio La Romita, Delegación Cuauhtémoc, not in Mixcoac or Benito Juárez as commonly believed. It was a symbol of both medical progress and societal exclusion of the mentally ill in early 20th-century Mexico. Despite its historical significance, the clinic was closed in 1968 and later demolished in the 1990s, leaving only a mural in the Metro Sevilla as a reminder.
Isla de las Muñecas, on the other hand, is a stark reminder of the tragic fate of many young girls. Don Julián Santana, the island's master chinampero, was haunted by the spirit of a drowned girl until he filled his chinampa with doll parts to honor her and other girls who had died. The island's eerie atmosphere is further enhanced by the belief that the dolls are possessed by the spirits of the deceased girls.
Today, while La Castañeda's legacy lives on in the form of the Hospital Psiquiátrico “Fray Bernardino Álvarez” in Iztapalapa, Isla de las Muñecas remains a chilling reminder of the past. Both sites serve as poignant reminders of Mexico City's complex history, filled with tales of the supernatural and the struggles of its people.
