THE LIFE OF RIZAL

• The Family Rizal - one of the biggest families during their time. The Mercado-Rizal
family is said to have traces of Japanese, Spanish, Malay, and Chinese ascendant.
Francisco Mercado (1818 - 1898)
• the father of Jose Maria Rizal (1859 - 1945)
• a farmer who was born in Biñan, • the sixth child
Laguna. • married Daniel Faustino Cruz
• he studied in San Jose College, Manila

Teodora Alonso (1827 - 1913) Jose Rizal (1861 - 1896)

• the mother of Jose • the seventh child
• a teacher who was born in Santa • the second son
Cruz, Manila • was executed by the Spaniards on December
• she studied in Colegio de Santa Rosa 30, 1896

Saturnina Rizal ( 1850 - 1913) Conception Rizal (1862 - 1865)

• eldest among Rizal siblings • the eight child
• married Manuel Timoteo Hidalgo • died at the age of three

Paciano Rizal ( 1851 - 1930) Josefa Rizal (1865 - 1945)

• the only brother of Jose • the ninth child
• the 2nd child among Rizal siblings • an epileptic
• became a farmer and later a General • died a spinster
of the Philippine Revolution

Narcisa Rizal ( 1852 - 1939) Trinidad Rizal (1868 - 1951)

• the third child • the tenth child
• married Antonio Lopez • died a spinster
• a teacher and a musician • the last of the family to die

Olympia Rizal ( 1852 - 1887) Soledad Rizal (1868 - 1951)

• the fourth child • the youngest child
• married Silvestre Ubaldo • married Pantaleon Quintero
• died in 1887 from childbirth

Note:
Lucia Rizal ( 1852 - 1919) The term "died a spinster" refers to women who
• the fifth child
• married Matriano Herbosa have died of old age without marrying.
IMPORTANT TRIVIAS / NAME ORIGIN & MEANINGS

Dr. Jose Protacio Rizal Mercado Y Alonso Realonda

• Doctor - completed his medical course in Spain and was conferred the
degree of Licentiate in Medicine by the Universidad Central de
Madrid
• Jose - was chosen by his mother who was a devotee of the Christian
saint San Jose (St. Joseph)
• Protacio - from Ger vacio P. which come from a Christian calendar
• Mercado - adopted in 1731 by Domigo Lamco (the paternal great-
great-grandfather of Jose Rizal) which the Spanish term mercado
means 'market' in English
• Rizal - from the word 'Ricial' in Spanish means a field where wheat,
cut while still green, sprouts again
• Alonzo - old surname of his mother
• Y - and
• Realonda - it was used by Doña Teodora from the surname of her
godmother based on the culture by that time

OTHER SIGNIFICANT DETAILS

• June 19, 1861 - moonlit of Wednesday bet ween eleven and midnight Jose
Rizal was born in the lakeshore town of Calamba, Laguna
• June 22, 1861 - aged three days old, Rizal was baptized in the Catholic
church
• Father Rufino Collantes - a Batangueño, the parish priest who baptized
Rizal
• Father Pedro Casanas - Rizal's godfather, native of Calamba and close
friend of the Rizal family
• Lieutenant-General Jose Lemery - the governor general of the Philippines
when Rizal was born
 EARLY CHILDHOOD OF RIZAL - in Calamba, Laguna
Year 1864
• barely three years old, Rizal learned the alphabet from his mother

Year 1865
• four years old, Rizal witnessed the passing of his sister, Conception, at
the age of three

Year 1865 - 1867

• his mother taught him to write and read
• his father hired a tutor by the name Leon Monroy (Francisco's
classmate) to teach/tutor Rizal the rudiments of Latin for 5 months
until his death
• at about this time t wo of his uncles frequently visited Calamba both
were his mother's cousins
• Uncle Manuel Alberto concerned himself with the physical development
of his young nephew
• Manuel taught Rizal the love for open air and developed in him a great
admiration for the beauty of nature
• his uncle Gregorio, a scholar, developed in him the love for education

6th of June Year 1868

• With his father, Rizal made a pilgrimage to Antipolo to fulfill the vow
made by his mother to take the child to the Shrine of the Virgin of
Antipolo should she and her child survive the ordeal of delivery which
nearly caused his mother’s life.
• From there they proceeded to Manila and visited his sister Saturnina
who was at the time studying in the La Concordia College in Sta. Ana.

Year 1869
• At the age of eight, Rizal wrote his first poem entitled "Sa Aking Mga
Kabata." The poem was written in tagalog and had for its theme "Love
of One’s Language.".
 EARLY CHILDHOOD OF RIZAL - in Biñan, Laguna
Year 1870
• His brother Paciano brought Rizal to Biñan, Laguna. He was placed under
the tutelage of Justiniano Aquino Cruz, studying Latin and Spanish. In
this town he also learned the art of painting under the tutorship of an
old painter by the name of Juancho Carrera.

Year 1870
• Having finished his studies in Biñan, Rizal returned to Calamba on board
the motorboat Talim. His parents planned to transfer him to Manila
where he could continue his studies.

EARLY CHILDHOOD OF RIZAL - back in Calamba, Laguna

Year 1871
• His mother was imprisoned in Sta. Cruz, Laguna for allegedly poisoning
the wife of her cousin Jose Alberto, a rich property owner of Biñan and
brother of Manuel and Gregorio.
Year 1872
• For the first time, Rizal heard of the word filibustero which his father
forbid the members of his family to utter, including such names as
Cavite and Burgos. (It must be remembered that because of the Cavite
Mutiny on January 20, 1872, Fathers Mariano Gomez, Jose Burgos and
Jacinto Zamora were garroted at Bagumbayan Field on February 17,
1872.)

Note:
• The word “filibustero” is derived from Spanish which refers to a person
who opposes or criticizes the government or the rulers, especially if it
is related to the revolution or fight for freedom.
 EARLY CHILDHOOD OF RIZAL - in Calamba, Laguna
• Calamba was named after a big native jar
• Calamba was a hacienda town which belonged to the Dominican Order,
which also owned all the lands around it
• Un Recuerdo A Mi Pueblo (In Memory of My Town)- a poem about
Rizal's beloved town written by Rizal in 1876 when he was 15 years
old and was student in the Ateneo de Manila
• The first memory of Rizal, in his infancy, was his happy days in the
family garden when he was three years old
• Another childhood memory was the daily Angelus prayer. By nightfall,
Rizal related, his mother gathered all the children at the house to pray
the Angelus
• Another memory of Rizal's infancy was the nocturnal walk in the
town, especially when there was a moon
• The death of little Concha (Conception) brought Rizal his first sorrow
• At the age of three, Rizal began to take a part in the family prayers
• When Rizal was five years old, he was able to read haltingly the
Spanish family bible
• The Story of the Moth - made the profoundest impression on Rizal
• "died a martyr to its illusions"
• At the age of five, Rizal began to make sketches with his pencil and to
mould in clay and wax objects which attracted his fancy
• Sa Aking Mga Kabata (To My Fellow Children) - Rizal's first poem in
native language at the age of eight, reveals Rizal's earliest nationalist
sentiment
• Tio Jose Alberto - studied in British school in Calcutta, India and had
traveled in Europe inspired Rizal to develop his artistic ability
• Tio Manuel - a husky and athletic man, encouraged Rizal to develop his
frail body by means of physical exercises
• Tio Gregorio - a book lover, intensified Rizal's reading of good book
• Father Leoncio Lopez - the old and learned parish priest of Calamba,
fostered Rizal's love for scholarship and intellectual honesty
 EARLY EDUCATION OF RIZAL - in Calamba & Biñan
• The first teacher of Rizal was his mother, who was remarkable woman
of good character and fine culture
• Maestro Celestino - Rizal's first private tutor
• Maestro Lucas Padua - Rizal's second tutor
• Leon Monroy - a former classmate of Rizal's father became Rizal's
tutor that instructed Jose in Spanish and Latin. He died five months
later
• Sunday afternoon in June, 1869 - Rizal left Calamba for Biñan
accompanied by Paciano
• Maestro Justiniano Aquino Cruz - Rizal's teacher in a private school in
Biñan
• Rizal described his teacher as follows: He was thin, long-necked, with a
sharp nose and a body slightly bent for ward
• Pedro - the teacher's son which Rizal challenged to a fight
• Andres Salandanan - challenged Rizal to an arm-wrestling match
• Juancho - an old painter who was the father-in-law of the school
teacher; freely give Rizal lessons in drawing and painting
• Jose Guevara - Rizal's classmate who also loved painting, became
apprentices of the old painter
• "the favorite painters of the class" - because of his artistic talent
• Christmas in 1870 - Rizal received a letter from his sister Saturnina,
informing him of the arrival of the steamer Talim which would take
him from Biñan to Calamba
• Saturday afternoon, December 17, 1870 - Rizal left Biñan after one
year and a half of schooling
• Arturo Camps - a Frenchman friend of Rizal's father who took care of
him on board

Influences on Jose’s Boyhood:

• hereditary influence, environmental influence, aid of Divine Providence
 Scholastic Triumps at Ateneo de Manila
• Ateneo Municipal - a college under the supervision of the Spanish
Jesuits
• Escuela Pia (Charity School) - formerly name of Ateneo, a school for
poor boys in Manila which was established by the city government in
1817
• Escuela Pia > Ateneo Municipal > Ateneo de Manila
• June 10, 1872 - Rizal accompanied by Paciano went to Manila
• Father Magin Ferrando - was the college registrar, refused to admit
Rizal in Ateneo for t wo reasons: (1) he was late for registration (2) he
was sickly and undersized for his age
• Manuel Xerez Burgos - because of his intercession, nephew of Father
Burgos, Rizal was reluctantly admitted at the Ateneo

• Jose was the first of his family to adopt the surname "Rizal". He
registered under this name at Ateneo because their family name
"Mercado" had come under the suspicion of the Spanish authorities
• Rizal was first boarded in a house outside Intramuros, on Caraballo
Street. This was owned by a spinster named Titay who owed the Rizal
family the amount of 300 pesos

Jesuit System of Education

• it trained the character of the student by rigid discipline and religious
instructions
Students were divided into t wo groups:
• Roman Empire- consisting of internos (boarders); red banner
• Carthaginian Empire- composed of externos (non-boarders); blue banner
• Emperor -the best student in each "empire"
• Tribune - the second best
• Decurion - the third best
• Centurion - the fourth best
• Stand-bearer - the fifth best
 First Year at Ateneo de Manila
• Father Jose Bech - Rizal's first professor in Ateneo whom he described
as a "tall thin man, with a body slightly bent for ward, a harried walk,
an ascetic face, severe and inspired, small deep-sunken eyes, a sharp
nose that was almost Greek, and thin lips forming an arc whose ends
fell toward the chin
• A Religious picture- Rizal's first prize for being the brightest pupil in
the whole class
• To improve his Spanish, Rizal took private lessons in Santa Isabel
College during the noon recesses which he paid three pesos for
• At the end of the school year in March, 1873, Rizal returned to
Calamba for summer vacation
• When the summer vacation ended, Rizal returned to Manila for his
second year term in Ateneo. This time he boarded inside Intramuros at
No. 6 Magallanes Street. His landlady was old widow named Doña Pepay
• he pursued a degree in land surveying and assessor while
simultaneously completing his Bachelor of Arts degree.

Second Year at Ateneo de Manila

• At the end of the school year, Rizal received excellent grades in all
subjects and a gold medal
• The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas- the first favorite novel of
Rizal which made a deep impression on him
• Universal History by Cesar Cantu- Rizal persuaded his father to buy him
this set of historical work that was a great aid in his studies
• Dr. Feodor Jagor- a German scientist-traveler who visited the Philippines in
1859-1860 who wrote Travels in the Philippines
• Rizal was impressed in this book because of (1) Jagor's keen obser vations of
the defects of Spanish colonization (2) his prophecy that someday Spain
would lose the Philippines and that America would come to succeed her as
colonizer
 Third Year at Ateneo de Manila
• Rizal grades remained excellent in all subjects but he won only one
medal-in Latin
• At the end of the school year (March 1875), Rizal returned to
Calamba for the summer vacation. He himself was not impressed by his
scholastic work
Fourth Year at Ateneo de Manila
• June 16, 1875- Rizal became an interno in the Ateneo
• Padre Francisco de Paula Sanchez- a great educator and scholar, one of
Rizal's professors who inspired him to study harder and to write
poetry
• Rizal described this Jesuiot professor as "model of uprightness,
earnestness, and love for the advancement of his pupils"
• Rizal topped all his classmates in all subjects and won five medals at
the end of the school term

Fifth/Last Year at Ateneo de Manila

• Rizal's studies continued to fare well excelling in all subjects. The most
brilliant Atenean of his time, he was truly "the pride of the Jesuits"
• March 23, 1877- Commencement Day, Rizal, who was 16 years old,
received from his Alma Mater, Ateneo Municipal, the degree of Bachelor of
Arts, with highest honors
• Marian Congregation- a religious society wherein Rizal was an active
member and later became the secretary
• Father Jose Vilaclara- advised Rizal to stop communing with the Muse and
pay more altention to more practical studies
• Rizal studied painting under the famous Spanish painter, Agustin Saez,
and sculpture under Romualdo de Jesus, noted Filipino sculptor
• Rizal carved an image of the Virgin Mary on a piece of batikuling
(Philippine hardwood) with his pocketknife
• Father Lleonart- impressed by Rizal's sculptural talent, requested him to
carve for him an image of Sacred Heart of Jesus
 LITERARY WORKS OF RIZAL WHILE IN ATENEO
• Mi Primera Inspiracion (My First Inspiration), 1874- the first poem
Rizal probably wrote during his days in Ateneo which was dedicated to
his mother on her birthday; Rizal wrote it before he was 14 years old

In 1875, inspired by Father Sanchez, Rizal wrote more poems, as such:

• Felicitacion (Felicitationi)
• El Embarque: Himno a la Flota de Magallanes (The Departure: Hymn to
Magellan's Fleet)
• Y Es Espanol; Elcano, el Primero en dar la Vuelta al Mundo (And He is
Spanish: Elcano, the First to Circumnavigate the World)
• El Combate: Urbiztondo, Terror de Jolo (The Battle: Urbiztondo, Terror
of Jolo)

In 1876, Rizal wrote poems on various topics-religion, education, childhood

memories and war. They were as follows:
• Un Recuerdo a Mi Pueblo (In Memory of My Town) - a tender poem in
honor of Calamba, the hero's natal town
• Alianza Intima Entre la Religion y la Buena Educacion (Intimate
Alliance Bet ween Religion and Good Education) - Rizal showed the
importance of religion in education
• Por la Educacion Recibe Lustre la Patria (Through Education the Country
Receives Light) - Rizal believed in the significant role which education
plays in the progress and welfare of a nation
• El Cautiverio y el Triunfo: Batalla de Lucena y Prision de Boabdil (The
Captivity and the Triumph: Battle of Lucena and the Imprisonment of
Boabdil) - this martial poem describes the defeat and capture of
Boabdil, last Moorish sultan of Granada
• La Entrada Triunfal de los Reyes Catolices en Granada (The Triumphal
Entry of the Catholic Monarchs into Granada) - this poem relates the
victorious entry of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabel into Granada, last
Moorish stronghold in Spain
 EDUCATION IN THE UNIVERSITY OF STO. TOMAS
• April 1877- Rizal who was then nearly 16 years old, matriculated in
the University of Santo Tomas, the course on Philosophy and Letters
because (1) his father like it (2) he was "still uncertain as to what
career to pursue"
• Father Pablo Ramon-Rector of Ateneo, who had been good to him
during his student days in that college, asking for advice on the choice
of a career but unfortunately he was in Mindanao
• It was during the following term (1878-1879) that Rizal, having
received the Ateneo Rector's advice to study medicine
• During Rizal's first school term in the University of Santo Tomas
(1877-1878), Rizal also studied in Ateneo. He took the vocational course
leading to the title of perito agrimensor (expert sur veyor)
• Rizal excelled in all subjects in the surveying course in Ateneo,
obtaining gold medals in agriculture and topography
• November 25, 1881- the title was issued to Rizal for passing the final
examination in the surveying course
• Liceo Artistico-Literario (Artistic-Literary Lyceum) of Manila- a
society of literary men and artists, held a literary contest in the year
1879
• after finishing the first year of a course in Philosophies and Letters, he
transferred to a medical school
• El Consejo de los Dioses (The Councils of the Gods)- an allegorical drama
written by Rizal which he entered in the literary contest of Artistic-
Literary Lyceum in 1880 to commemorate the fourth centennial of the
death of Cervantes and was a literary masterpiece based on the Greek
classics. The prize was awarded was a gold ring on which was engraved
the bust of Cervantes
• Compañerismo (Comradeship)- Rizal founded a secret society of Filipino
students in University of Santo Tomas in 1880
• Companions of Jehu- members of the society whose after the valiant
Hebrew general
 LITERARY WORKS OF RIZAL WHILE IN ATENEO
A year later, in 1877, Rizal wrote more poems. It was his last years in
Ateneo. Among the poems written that year were:
• El Heroismo de Colon (The Heroism of Columbus)- this poem praises
Columbus, the discoverer of America
• Colon y Juan II (Columbus and John Il)- this poem relates how King John
Il of Portugal missed fame and riches by his failure to finance the
projected expedition of Columbus to the New World
• Gran Consuelo en la Mayor Desdicha (Great Solace in Great Misfortune)
- this is a legend in verse of the tragic life of Columbus
• Un Dialogo Aluviso a la Despedida de los Colegiales (A Farewell Dialogue
of the Students)- this was the last poem written by Rizal in Ateneo; it
is a poignant poem of farewell to his classmate
• Al Niño Jesus (To the Child Jesus)- this poem was written in 1875 when
Rizal was 14 years old; it was a brief ode
• A La Virgen Maria (To the Virgin Mary)- another religious poem which
doesn't have exact date when it was written
• San Eustacio, Martir (St. Eustace, the Martyr)- a drama based on the
prose story of St. Eustace which he wrote in poetic verses during the
summer vacation of 1876 and finished it on June 2, 1876
• A La Juventud Filipina (To the Filipino Youth)- this winning poem of
Rizal is a classic in Philippine literature for t wo reasons: (1) it was the
great poem in Spanish written by a Filipino, whose merit was
recognized by Spanish literary authorities (2) it expressed for the first
time the nationalistic concept that the Filipinos, and not the
foreigners, were the "fair hope of the Fatherland"
• The Board of Judges, composed of Spaniards, was impressed by Rizal's
poem and gave it the first prize which consisted of a silver pen,
feather-shaped and decorated with a gold ribbon