Capgrossos del Poble Espanyol

Fact sheet

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The Capgrossos del Poble entourage consists of ten big heads, one for each district in the city. Like the rest of their family members, there were created in the Cab Boter workshop in the town of Tiana in 1988. The big head figures represent real characters and others forged by the popular imagination of each neighbourhood. Some clearly pay homage to people who did a lot for their district, others are characters typifying neighbourhood activities, while others stand out simply for being unique characters.

The Ciutat Vella big head represents the artist and socio-cultural activist José Pérez Ocaña. A highly popular naïve artist from the 1970s, Pérez Ocaña had a very strong link to Plaça Reial, where he lived and worked. He also stood out for his defence of LGBTI rights. He himself was a transvestite.

Dida represents a wet nurse and is a tribute to all the service personnel who used to work in the traditionally bourgeois district of L’Eixample. She is dressed as a 19th century maid, wearing an apron and a coif, and even pushes a pram.

The big head representing the district of Sants-Montjuïc is Pispa, a popular character who trafficked cotton, coal and other materials stolen from factories in Poble-sec. Pispa is dressed as a factory worker from the time of the industrial revolution, with a large blue cotton shirt and a beanie hat.

Rafael de les Galledes was an impoverished Majorcan who could be found in the district of Les Corts. He was very popular with the local residents as he would carry out minor tasks and jobs without asking for anything in return. His name comes from his habit of fetching buckets of water from the local spring so that local residents could fill their lavoirs.

Mingo represents Sarrià and is an old-fashioned street cleaner. He wears a navy blue work outfit and is never separated from his broom.

The district of Gràcia is represented by a pilgrim of Sant Medir, one of the most deep-rooted festivals in the neighbourhood. The figure is decorated as a rider and on the lapel of his jacket he wears the colour insignia of all of the pilgrimages he has taken part in.

Martinet is a boy from the district of Sant Martí who likes playing in the street with his metal ring.

Municipala represents one of the first women police officers in the city, who was posted to the district of Sant Andreu.

Nou Barris is represented based on the legend of the Torre Baró castle. The story goes that the Baron of Pinós had a daughter who was ill and so he had a castle built for her on high ground above the city. But the young girl died before the building was completed and the half-built castle was abandoned. The big head looks like a medieval princess and wears a castle on top.

Finally, the poet Joan Brossa represents the district of Horta-Guinardó, where he lived for many years.