Legends of Mexico City

Three contemporary urban legends of Mexico City. The first is about the Casa Negra in Colonia Roma, supposedly haunted after a fire killed dozens of typhoid patients housed there during the 1930s. The second legend centers on "Aunt Toña's house" in Chapultepec, where a widow is said to have poisoned street children she had taken in. Finally, the story of the "Isla de las Muñecas" in Xochimilco recounts the life of Julian Santana, who hung thousands of dolls on his plot of land after finding a dead girl in the water, creating an eerie place. Although the veracity of these events is questionable, the stories highlight the rich tradition of urban legends in the city and the possible historical basis or real events that inspire them.