Aquilino and Palmira are a couple of dwarfs that belong to the Poble-sec giant group. Like the other figures in their family they are distinguished by the fact they have two faces, one representing the traditional trades in the neighbourhood and the other a personification of the smoke from the Canadenca, the famous power station and local symbol. Although it closed many years ago, the memory of the Barcelona Traction, Light and Power Company Limited is still very much alive in Poble-sec and its three chimney stacks have become one of its most distinctive features.

Aquilino is a chimney sweep, a tribute to the workers who laboured in the Poble-sec factories, especially those who did the hardest and least appreciated jobs. He is called Aquilino because he represents an immigrant from another part of Spain who has come to Barcelona in search of future opportunities. Palmira is a dressmaker, one of those who made outfits for the numerous shows performed in the theatres and cabarets on Av Paral·lel.

Both these figures were made by Jordi Grau, at the Drac Petit workshop in Terrassa, taking his inspiration from a design by Xantal Grau. They are purposely designed so they can be carried as a dwarf by the smallest members of the group or as a chimney by the teenage members. Aquilino was presented to the public in the autumn of 2014, during a display of popular culture in the Sants-Montjuïc district, ‘Fes-te al carrer’ (Take to the Street). And Palmira was born in 2017, making her first public appearance on the centenary of the Poble-sec choir, the Societat Coral la Palma Moderna.