San Francisco Frontiers - Mexico's macabre Island of the Dolls inspires Tim Burton and Lady Gaga

The macabre site may spook many, but it intrigued gothic film director Tim Burton and pop superstar Lady Gaga, who used the island as the backdrop for the music video they shot together, "The Dead Dance."

The video for the dance-pop song shows Lady Gaga as one of the hundreds of dolls on the island, located in the heart of the city's ancient Xochimilco canals, a popular tourist destination.

The site was built by Julian Santana starting in 1950, using dolls he collected or received as donations for more than half a century until his death in 2001.

"This wall is where the video begins," said Juan Santana, Julian's great-nephew, pointing to an old hut where the elder Santana would rest after working as a farmer.

"If you look now, here it is, [Lady Gaga's] position looks a bit strange, but it was on this wall."

- Filmed in secret -

The video's production was a closely guarded secret, even from Santana, 38, who oversees the island with his brothers Cristian and Rogelio.

"We didn't even know who was coming... in fact, they did not let us be here," Santana said.

More than 60 people were involved in the three-day shoot, which took 18 trajinera canal boats to transport all the production elements, including cameras, microphones, tents, food, and more.

"It was almost like a small town had moved here," Santana said.

Burton and Gaga's teams had negotiated to have the entire island and surrounding properties occupied for the entire production.

The video's shoot was blocked by tents and guards in order to prevent any leaks, though the music was at times loud enough to be heard by onlookers.

- Protective dolls -

Contrary to popular belief, Julian Santana did not begin gathering and hanging dolls on the island to scare other living people, but dead ones.

Specifically, he felt haunted by the spirit of a young woman who had drowned in the canals, where her body was found floating.

The elder Santana claimed to have seen the spirit of the woman pursuing him, terrifying him to the point that he no longer wanted to return to the island.

In the midst of the ordeal, Julian found a plush doll floating in the water and hung it in a nearby tree to dry off.

"Julian realized that when he hung the doll, he no longer heard the young woman or saw her silhouette," his grandnephew Juan said.

"So, he took on the task of collecting more dolls from neighbors and relatives."

This first doll remains at the site, along with 1,500 others he collected over the course of his life -- including his most prized one, dubbed Agustinita, who sits in a replica of a trajinera, a type of boat found in Xochimilco which resembles an altar.

"Agustinita appears in Lady Gaga's dancing video," Santana said with a smile.

- Cursed? -

On the same day "The Dead Dance" video premiered, Lady Gaga canceled her concert in Miami, citing a sudden problem with her vocal cords.

Social media grew abuzz with comments about the supposed "curse of the Xochimilco dolls," as Gaga can be seen touching and moving some of them in the music video.

If there was any curse, however, none of it was transferred to the Santana family, who have seen an influx of visitors to the island.

Mexican fans of Lady Gaga have also rushed to visit the site where the pop superstar filmed her latest visuals.

"This video made me curious to visit and take the opportunity to record a little video [for TikTok]," explained Manuel Montes de Oca, a 28-year-old fan dressed in an outfit resembling Lady Gaga's and performing choreography from the music video in front of his cell phone.

B.Ramirez--SFF