"Ets més famosa que la Monyos (you’re more famous than Monyos)" is a popular saying that we still hear today. But who was Monyos? A woman who became an icon of the Raval and the Rambles for her clothing and popularity that songs, comedies and plays have been dedicated to. But before that she was Dolors, a young woman from a wealthy family who tried to marry her off to a man who was older than her. When she refused, they kicked her out of the house and disinherited her, and she was even forced to give up her surname. She went to work as a maid in a small mansion on Passeig de Gràcia, owned by a count and countess. She became pregnant by the nobles' son and had a baby girl, but when the child's father died, her in-laws kicked her out of the house and kept the little girl. The separation provoked a mental disorder that she would never recover from. Her story was buried beneath an outlandish identity: that of a woman who walked the Rambles with her hair tied up and a carnation, singing, dancing and reciting poems in exchange for a few coins. Her popularity made her much-loved in the neighbourhood. They say that every morning she went to La Puda, a bar on C/ de Carrera, and ordered a coffee that she never paid for. Her funeral was well-attended, although it remains unknown who bore the expenses.
She became an icon in the Raval and on the Ramblas because of her clothing and popularity, which gave rise to the expression ‘to be more famous than Monyos’. Songs, comedies and plays have been dedicated to her.