Jose Rizal's Family and Early Life

Rizal's Birth and Family

• Jose Rizal was born on November 8, 1826, in Manila.
• His mother, Teodora Alonzo Realonda, made a pilgrimage to the Virgin of Antipolo to vow for her child's safety.
• Rizal’s father, Francisco Mercado, was a farmer who rented land from the Dominican order.
• Rizal had eleven siblings, including Saturnina, Paciano, and Soledad.

Education and Childhood

• Rizal was baptized in the Catholic Church of his town on June 22, 1826.
• Rizal's mother was his first teacher, teaching him the alphabet and prayers.
• Rizal's parents hired private tutors, including Maestro Celestino, Maestro Lucas Padua, and Leon Monroy.
• Rizal revealed a talent for art at an early age, sketching with a pencil and molding clay and wax objects.

Rizal's Family Background

• The Rizal family belonged to the principalia, a town aristocracy in Spanish Philippines.
• Rizal’s parents were able to live well through farming, raising pigs, chickens, and turkeys.

The Rizal Home

• The Rizal family lived in a two-story stone house built in Calamba during Spanish times.
• The house was rectangular, built of adobe stones and hard-woods, and had a red tile roof.

Rizal's Early Memories

• Rizal's earliest childhood memory was of playing in his family garden at age three.
• He observed various birds in his garden and listened to their twilight songs.
• Rizal was frail and sickly as a child.
• He was cared for by a kind old woman named Aya.

The Gom-Bur-Za Martyrdom

• The execution of Fathers Mariano Gomez, Jose Burgos, and Jacinto Zamora (Gom-Bur-Za) in 1872 left a deep impact on Rizal.
• The three priests were accused of rebellion and executed on February 17, 1872.
• Rizal's mother, Teodora Alonzo Realonda, was unjustly imprisoned for two and a half years.
• Paciano, Rizal's brother, quit his studies at the College of San Jose and returned to Calamba to tell his younger brother about the execution of Father Burgos.

Rizal's Nationalism

• Rizal's poem "Ang hindi magmahal sa sariling wika" (The one who does not love his own language) reveals his early nationalist sentiment.
• He proclaimed that a people who truly love their native language will strive for liberty.

Rizal's Character

• Rizal's mother described him as a child with a serious nature, frugality, patience, love for children, and a good judgment.
• Rizal was physically weak but later became an intellectual giant.

Rizal's First Brawl

• On his first day of school in Biñan, Rizal fought a bully named Pedro.
• Rizal learned wrestling from his uncle, Manuel, and defeated Pedro, gaining popularity among his classmates.

Painting Lessons

• Rizal received painting lessons from Juancho, an old painter who lived near his school.
• Juancho was impressed by the artistic talent of the young Rizal.

This quiz explores the early life and family background of Jose Rizal, a pivotal figure in Philippine history. Learn about his birth, family dynamics, education, and the influences that shaped his formative years. Test your knowledge about Rizal's childhood in Manila and his family's cultural significance.