The Island of the Dolls earned its eerie name and description due to the hundreds of dolls which are tied to trees, spreading across the island and creating a rather disturbing landscape. One man did this: Don Julian Santana Barrera, a fact which is both disturbing and relieving. Don Julian was the sole inhabitant of this island. According to various stories, he discovered the remains of a young girl who had drowned. Later on, he found her doll which was floating in the water. He decided to tie it to a tree. After that, he continued to decorate the entire island with more dolls that he had found in the nearby canals. He died in 2001. Many people speculated that he had committed suicide because he had eventually driven himself insane. Apparently, he drowned in the same location where he had found the girl.