Jose Rizal's Family History

Family and Early Life

• Jose Protacio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda, the seventh child of Francisco Rizal Mercado and Teodora Alonso Realonda, was born on June 19, 1861, in Calamba, Laguna.
• Rizal's family had mixed origins, tracing back to Fujian, China.
• His maternal ancestry included Chinese, Japanese, and Tagalog roots.
• In 1849, Governor-General Narciso Claveria mandated Filipinos to adopt Spanish surnames, resulting in the family name "Mercado" being adopted.
• The name "Rizal" wasn't found in official records, only the surname "Risal."
• Rizal's mother, Teodora, was falsely accused of poisoning her sister-in-law and imprisoned for two years without a trial.
• This incident led the family to use the surname "Rizal" to avoid association with Fr. Burgos, who had a connection with Rizal's brother, Paciano.
• The execution of the Gomburza (Fr. Mariano Gomez, Fr. Jacinto Zamora, and Fr. Jose Burgos) in 1872 due to false accusations of leading the Cavite Mutiny deeply affected Rizal.
• The Gomburza were advocating for reform for secular clergy, demanding equal rights for Filipino and Spanish priests.
• Rizal's ancestral history includes Chinese descent, with his grandfather, Domingo Lam-co, being a Chinese immigrant merchant.
• The legal status of Filipinos during the Spanish colonial period was linked to cultural identity, categorized as Chinese, mestizo, or Indio.
• The status was determined by parentage, specifically the father's.
• Through marriage, native women or mestizas could potentially change their status.
• Rizal was considered a fourth-generation Chinese mestizo due to his ancestral lineage.
• The family's acquired prestige, wealth, and status enabled them to classify themselves as Indios, making Don Francisco Mercado and Jose Rizal Indios.
• The Galleon Trade's end in 1815 brought economic growth to the Philippines, benefiting Indios along with Western, British, and American merchants.
• The opening of Manila to foreign trade in the mid-1830s increased demand for Philippine sugar and abaca, further contributing to economic prosperity.