Ancestral Lineage of Jose Rizal

Study Notes

Jose Rizal's great-grandfather on his father's side was a Chinese immigrant from Changchow, China named Domingo Lamco. He married a well-to-do Christian girl in Manila, Ines de la Rosa, who assumed the surname Mercado in 1731.
Jose Rizal's grandfather, Juan Mercado, was elected gobernadorcillo (municipal mayor) of Binan, Laguna.
Jose Rizal's mother, Teodora Alonzo, was the daughter of Brigada de Quintos, a Filipino-Chinese mestiza, and Lorenzo Alberto Alonzo, a prominent Spanish-Filipino mestizo from Binan.

Jose Rizal had 11 siblings: Saturnina, Paciano, Narcisa, Olimpia, Lucia, Maria, Jose, Conception, Josefa, Trinidad, and Soledad.
Paciano was Jose Rizal's confidant and encouraged him to go abroad.
Jose Rizal's youngest sibling, Soledad, married Pantaleon Quintero of Calamba.

Jose Rizal's family was part of the Principalia, a class of Filipino aristocrats during the Spanish colonial period.
They were engaged in farming and owned a carriage, a symbol of wealth and status among the ilustrados.
They had a large library with over 1000 volumes.

Jose Rizal was a frail and sickly child.
He learned to read at the age of five and displayed artistic talent by making sketches at the same age.
He entertained townspeople with magic lantern shows and puppet shows.

Jose Rizal's first teacher was his mother, Teodora Alonzo.
He was sent to Binan to study under Maestro Justiano Aquino Cruz and learned wrestling from his uncle, Tio Manuel.
He completed his studies in Binan in 1870.

Jose Rizal was denied admission to Ateneo due to his late registration and his small stature.
The Jesuit priests who ran Ateneo focused on physical culture, humanities, and scientific studies.

Jose Rizal excelled in his studies, topping his class in all subjects and earning five medals at the end of the school year.
He befriended his professor, Fr. Francisco de Paula Sanchez, who became a mentor and inspired Jose Rizal to write poetry.

Jose Rizal studied Philosophy and Letters at UST under the Dominican order.
He was disappointed with the institution due to the hostility of some Dominican professors, racial discrimination, and outdated teaching methods.

While studying at UST, Jose Rizal also took a vocational course at Ateneo to become a perito agrimensor (expert surveyor) at the age of 17.

Jose Rizal continued his medical studies at the Universidad Central de Madrid, also taking courses in Philosophy and Letters, Fine Arts, and foreign languages.
He participated in sports, including fencing and shooting.