For those who like to celebrate Halloween night with terrifying experiences, Latin America offers tours of various places that test the courage of their visitors, from haunted castles and ghost towns to a mysterious island where frightening Annabelle-style dolls hang from the trees.
Here are four Latin American places that lovers of paranormal experiences shouldn’t miss, especially on Halloween.
ADVERTISING
Island of the Dolls, Mexico
South of Mexico City is Xochimilco, one of the most popular water channels where young people have fun boarding traditional boats full of flowers and color, however, on Halloween this place is transformed to become one of the most creepy places for those who visit.
At some point along the way, boat passengers arrive at a sinister island adorned with multiple dolls hanging from trees. The story goes that in that place a man buried a girl who died mysteriously and that at night screams, laughter and cries could be heard. For this reason, Mr. Santana, a resident, decided to fill the island with dolls so that the girl’s spirit could be calm and the place could return to peace.
Today this place is full of visitors, especially Halloween night, the day on which the island is lit up in a unique way for visitors’ amusement. The tour includes a visit to Mr. Santana’s house where tourists can see the first doll created for this terrifying collection.
Mexico’s deserted Island of the Dolls is the epitome of creepy. (photo courtesy of Flash Pack)
Humberstone, Chile
This is a ghost town, located in the region of Tarapacá (Atacama Desert), which was formerly dedicated to mining. Today there are remains of alleys, buildings, hotels, theaters, locomotives, as well as the former offices of companies that extracted saltpeter from this area.
According to the legend, during the night, people can hear the cries of men, women, and even children who were exploited to work in the different mines in the area. Some hear the crackling of doors and the sound of tools hitting rocks.
Humberstone has guides who accompany visitors on the tour of this mysterious abandoned village. Along the way, they tell of the bloody legends that make this place one of the darkest in Latin America. The offices of this saltpeter, together with its neighbor Santa Laura, are managed by the Corporation Museo del Salitre and were declared a National Monument in 1970 and a Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2005.
Castillo Marroquín, Colombia
Located in the Colombian town of Chía, this place, which today is an exclusive destination for cultural events, celebrations, bullfighting, and equestrian events, has an interesting history behind it. According to the legend, the wife of the first owner of this magnificent castle mysteriously disappeared one morning when she went to look for clothes in her room.
Sometime later, her body was found near the Bogota River, and since then, locals claim to hear her ghost walk through the corridors of the hacienda and even believe they have seen her near the Bogota River. This impressive castle was designed by the architect Gastón Lelarge in 1898 and has two circular towers, an inner chapel, kitchens, and large spaces for recreation.
Catacombs of San Francisco, Peru
In Lima, the capital of Peru, visitors can spend Halloween with high adrenaline visiting the catacombs of the San Francisco Monastery that are hidden under the chapels of the Church.
Its narrow corridors connecting to the Franciscan order’s crypts hide scary stories of those buried there forever. The vaults feature hundreds of human skulls and bones dating back to the 17th century. Of particular note is a 32-foot-deep tomb that only the bravest dare to visit, with local guides who attend to tourists of all ages.
If the experience was not terrifying enough, outside is the Matusita house, famous for its stories of ghosts and the paranormal phenomena that have been presented there. The inhabitants assure that citizens can still see the shadows of the specters and hear the cries of the ghosts.
