Early Life and Family of Jose Rizal

Early Life of Jose Rizal

• José Protacio Rizal Mercado y Alonzo Realonda was born on June 19, 1861, in Calamba, Laguna.
• Three days after his birth, he was baptized in a Catholic Church.
• Father Rufino Collantes was the parish priest who performed the baptism.
• Fr. Pedro Casanas was chosen as Rizal's godfather.

Origin of Rizal's Name

• Rizal's lengthy name is a result of combining surnames from his family's history.
• "Protacio" and "Jose" were given in honor of two saints.
• "Mercado" signifies 'market'.
• "y" indicates the conjunction "and."
• "Alonzo" serves as the old family name.
• "Realonda" was mandated by the Claveria Decree.
• "Rizal" signifies 'green fields'.

Rizal's Family

• Jose Rizal was the seventh of eleven children.
• The Rizal family was considered middle class and resided in a large two-story stone house.
• The family owned a vast private library with over 1,000 books,
• The family owned a carriage and horses.
• All the Rizal children were educated in Manila, with their parents affording private tutors.

Rizal's Parents

• Francisco Mercado (1818-1898) was Rizal's father and the youngest of thirteen children of Juan and Cirila Mercado.
• Francisco Mercado was born in Biñan, Laguna, on April 18, 1818.
• Francisco Mercado studied at San Jose College, Manila.
• Francisco Mercado died in Manila.
• Teodora Alonso (1827-1913) was Rizal's mother and the second child of Lorenzo Alonso and Brijida de Quintos.
• Teodora Alonso studied at the Colegio de Santa Rosa.
• Teodora Alonso was a courteous, religious, business-minded, hardworking, and well-read woman.
• Teodora Alonso was born in Santa Cruz, Manila on November 14, 1827, and died in 1913 in Manila.

Rizal's Siblings

• Saturnina Rizal (1850-1913) was the eldest child of the Rizal-Alonzo marriage.
• Paciano Rizal (1851-1930) was the only brother of Jose Rizal and the second child, and studied at San Jose College in Manila. He became a farmer and later a general of the Philippine Revolution.
• Narcisa Rizal (1852-1939), also known as "Sisa," was the third child, married Antonio Lopez at Morong, Rizal, and was a teacher and musician.
• Olympia Rizal (1855-1887) was the fourth child, known as "Ypia", and married Silvestre Ubaldo; she died in 1887 from childbirth.
• Lucia Rizal ,who married Mariano Herbosa of Calamba, a farmer and nephew of Fr. Pedro Casanas
• In 1889 Mariano died in cholera but was denied a Christian burial because he was Jose Rizal's brother-in-law.
• Maria Rizal (1859-1945), known as "Biang", was the sixth child. She wed Daniel Faustino Cruz of Biñan, Laguna.
• Jose Rizal (1861-1896) was the seventh child and second son, executed by the Spaniards on December 30, 1896.
• Jose Rizal's family nickname was "Pepe." Concepcion Rizal (1862-1865) was the eighth child, and died at the age of three.
• Josefa Rizal (1865-1945), known as "Panggoy", was the ninth child, an epileptic who died a spinster.
• Trinidad Rizal (1868-1951), nicknamed "Trining," was the tenth child, a spinster, and the last of the family to die.
• Soledad Rizal (1870-1929), known as "Choleng", was the youngest child, and married Pantaleon Quintero.

Early Education

• The death of his sister, Concha, brought Rizal his first experience of sorrow.
• At three years old, he joined religious processions and novenas in the church.
• At five, he could read the Spanish Bible with his mother's help.
• As Rizal grew older, his parents hired private tutors for his formal education.
• Maestro Celestino, Maestro Lucas Padua, and Maestro Leon Monroy were his tutors.
• Leon Monroy, a former classmate of Francisco Mercado, taught Rizal Spanish and Latin but died five months later.
• After Monroy's death, Rizal's father sent him and his brother to study in Binan.
• His brother Paciano acted as a father figure during his school days in Binan.
• His first teacher in Binan was Maestro Justiniano Aquino Cruz.
• Justiniano Aquino Cruz was described as tall, thin, with a long neck and a sharp nose, and had knowledge of Latin and Spanish grammar.
• On his first day of school, Rizal was asked if he spoke Spanish and knew Latin.
• Pedro, the teacher's son, challenged Jose to a fight.
• Rizal defeated Pedro but refused a rematch for fear of punishment from the teacher.

Ateneo

• June 10, 1872, Rizal and his brother went to Manila and took an exam at the College of San Juan de Letran which he passed.
• Rizal's father then decided that Rizal should study at ateneo instead.
• Ateneo was considered one of the best universities in the Philippines during the 19th century and was managed by Jesuits.
• Rizal faced obstacles enlisting as Father Magin Ferrando, the College Registrar, doubted admission for late registration and for being pale, thin, and undersized for an 11-year-old.
• Rizal enrolled in the six-year Bachiller en Artes program at Ateneo, studying Christian doctrine, Languages of Spanish, Latin, Greek and French History and Geography Mathematics and Sciences, and classic disciplines.
• Classes at Ateneo were divided into two groups, Roman Empire which were the interns, and Carthaginian Empire which were the externs.
• Within the empire, the students fought for positions, challenging classmates with questions based on the day’s lesson.
• The best student was the Emperor, the second best was tribune, the third best became decurion, the fourth best was centurion, and the fifth became the standard bearer.
• Some works of literature read were "Historia Universal" by Cesar Cantu, "Count of Monte Cristo" by Alexander Dumas, and "Travels to the Philippines" by Feodor Jagor.
• Having private lessons at Santa Isabel College to improve his Spanish, after a month, Rizal became the emperor and was considered as the brightest student of the class.
• Inspired to study poetry hard by Father Francisco de Paula Sanchez, Rizal wrote "Through Education The Motherland Receives Light" and "Mi Primera Inspiracion (My First Inspiration)" – a poem dedicated to his mother on her birthday.