José Rizal: Early Life and Family

• Calamba is described as an enchanted, panoramic agricultural town virtually owned by Dominican Friars, nestled between Laguna de Bay and Mt. Makiling.
• The town prospered due to its sugar production, fertile soil, and favorable climate

Birth and Family

• Jose Rizal was born on June 19, 1861, with a large head, and baptized by Father Rufino Collantes.
• Father Pedro Casañas was his godfather.
• He was the 7th of 11 children of Don Francisco and Doña Teodora
• Siblings: Saturnina, Paciano, Narcisa, Olimpia, Lucia, Maria, Concepcion, Josefa, Trinidad, Soledad.

Ancestry

• Rizal's ancestry includes a mix of races
• Domingo Lamco (Chinese merchant) and Ines dela Rosa moved to Biñan and assumed the surname Mercado in 1731.
• Juan Mercado (Rizal’s grandfather) and Cirila Alejandro had 14 children; Juan became a gobernadorcillo of Biñan.
• Manuel de Quintos (Chinese mestizo) and Regina Ursua's daughter, Brigida, married Lorenzo Albert Alonso, and one of their children was Teodora (Rizal's mother).

Immediate Family

• Rizal was raised in a middle-class family and belonged to the principalia class.
• Don Francisco Mercado was an educated man who studied Latin and Philosophy.
• Doña Teodora Alonso was a disciplined, educated woman from Colegio de Santa Rosa.

Childhood Memories

• Rizal cherished family stories in the garden.
• He valued his parents' care due to his poor health and felt closeness to nature in the garden.
• A personal servant told him legends and fairy tales at the azotea.
• He grew up a pious Catholic, influenced by his mother and Father Leoncio Lopez, who instilled values of scholarship and intellectual honesty.
• At age 3, he learned to pray and read the Bible.
• His first sorrow was the death of his sister Concepcion (Concha) when he was 4.
• He frequently spent time at Laguna de Bay, observing acts of violence by the Guardia Civil.

Early Talents

• By 3 years old, he could read the alphabet and showed interest in reading.
• He had a knack for sketching, painting, sculpture, and literature.
• "Sa Aking Kabata" (To my Fellow Children) was his first poem at age 8.

First Injustice

• Rizal witnessed townmates being tortured.
• His mother's arrest in 1871 for alleged complicity in an attempted murder opened his eyes to injustice; she was jailed for almost two and one-half years.
• She was freed by Governor-General Izquierdo due to Soledad's graceful dancing.
• Rizal lost confidence in friendship and mistrusted others.

GOMBURZA

• The martyrdom of Gomburza influenced Rizal's life work.
• At 11, Paciano told him about the injustice suffered by the priests, especially Father Burgos.
• He dedicated El Filibusterismo to the memory of Gomburza.

Preparations For School

• Rizal's first teacher was his mother, Doña Teodora.
• Maestro Celestino and Maestro Lucas Padua were his first private tutors.
• Leon Monroy, a former classmate of his father, honed Rizal’s skills in reading, writing, and Latin.
• He was sent to a private secondary school and later studied in Europe.

Formal School

• Rizal was sent to a village school in Biñan.
• Paciano accompanied Rizal to Maestro Justiniano Cruz's school.
• When asked about his knowledge of Latin and Spanish, Rizal said it was "medyo lang" (just a bit)
• Pedro, Maestro Cruz's son, laughed at Rizal, who then challenged Pedro to a fight
• Rizal defeated Pedro in arm wrestling, gaining popularity.

Academic Studies

• He excelled in Latin, Spanish, and other subjects.
• Jealous classmates tried to undermine him.

Instruction

• Rizal disliked Maestro Cruz's use of corporal punishment, highlighted in Noli Me Tangere.
• His aggressiveness compensated for his short stature.

Life at Binan

• Rizal led a systematic life, taking painting lessons under Mestro Cruz’s father-in-law, old Juancho.
• He became an apprentice of the old painter

End of School

• Rizal returned to Calamba on December 17, 1870, after receiving a letter from his sister Saturnina.
• He was excited to travel home alone on the steamship Talim.

Colegio de San Jose and Ateneo Municipal

• Don Francisco opted not to send Rizal to Colegio de San Jose due to Paciano's negative experience and the execution of Father Burgos.
• Ateneo Municipal (formerly Escuela Pia) was a prestigious rival of Colegio de San Jose de Letran
• Rizal entered Ateneo at barely 11 years old.

Enrollment

• Rizal took the entrance exam at Colegio de San Juan de Letran on June 10, 1872, accompanied by Paciano.
• The exam covered reading, arithmetic, and Catholic doctrines.
• Rizal was initially refused entry into Ateneo due to late registration and being frail.
• Father Magin Fernando, the college registrar, initially denied him but Manuel Burgos intervened and he was admitted
• He registered as Jose Rizal instead of Jose Mercado.

Atenean Education

• Ateneo offered a six-year program for Bachiller en Artes.
• The academic program included Christian Doctrine, Languages, History and Geography, Mathematics and Sciences, and Classic disciplines.
• Vocational courses offered were Agriculture, Commerce, Mechanics, and Surveying.
• Ateneo trained students through rigid discipline and religious instruction, attending masses before classes.
• Classes began and ended with prayers.
• There were two competing "empires": the Roman Empire (boarding students) and the Carthaginian Empire (non-boarding students).
• Ranks within empires: Emperor, Tribune, Decurion, Centurion, Standard bearer.
• Students followed a daily timetable and in a month, Rizal became the "Emperor" (brightest in class).

Ratio Studiorum

• Rizal was subjected to Ratio Studiorum, a system of indoctrination under tight discipline combining memory and understanding.
• Atenean education aimed "Ad Majorem Del Gloriam" (for the greater glory of God) with the goal of making lifelong Catholics.
• Student life centered on the Chapel and religious confraternities.

Performance

• Rizal studied at Ateneo from 1872-1877 and excelled in all subjects.
• He passed the oral examination on March 14, 1877, graduating with Bachiller en Artes with highest honors.
• Factors contributing to his academic triumph: racial pride, monastic discipline, and seclusion of boarding school life.
• First Professor - Fr. Jose Bech
• Favorite Professor - Fr. Francisco Paula de Sanchez

Extracurricular Activiites

• He was a member and officer of the Sodality of Our Lady and the Apostleship of Prayer.
• He also joined the Academy of Spanish Literature and the Academy of Natural Sciences.

Poetry

• With guidance from Father Francisco Paula de Sanchez, Rizal developed his poetry skills.
• He took special lessons at the Convent School of Santa Isabel to improve his Spanish.
• His poetry covered religion, education, childhood experiences, patriotic sentiments, and sensitivity.

Painting and Sculpture

• He took painting lessons under Agustine Saez and sculpture lessons under Romualdo de Jesus.
• He carved the image of the Virgin Mary and the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Gymnastics and Fencing

• Under his Tio Manuel, he trained in gymnastics and fencing to develop his physique.

Literary Works

• "Mi Primera Inspiracion" (My First Inspiration) was dedicated to his mother on her birthday.
• "Un Recuerdo De Mi Pueblo 1876" (In Memory of My Town) paid homage to his birthplace, Calamba, highlighting its beauty and tranquility.
• "Al Niño Jesus" (To the Child Jesus) was an ode written at 14, expressing devotion to Catholicism.
• "La Alianza Intima Entre Religion Y La Buena Educacion (The Ultimate Alliance Between Religion and Good Education)"
• "Por La Educacion Recibe Lustre La Patria" (Through Education The Country Receives Light) emphasizes the benefits of education.
• Rizal compared education to a lighthouse, guiding people in their actions.
• He believed education could steer the country to progress and virtue through knowledge, refinement, and love for one’s country.
• Prudent education consists of three vital components: education for truth and knowledge, education for refinement, and education for love of one’s country.