Spain's Influence in the Philippines Quiz

The Jesuits and Spanish Colonization

• The Jesuits in Spain were known for corrupting the values of human rights, equality, and justice, and also practiced forced labor in Madrid.
• In the Philippines, the Jesuits ran the Education system in Manila, where the Peninsulares (Spanish-born), Insulares (Philippine-born Spaniards), Mestizos (mixed Spanish and Filipino), and Indios (native Filipinos) were segregated.

The Rizal Family

• José Rizal's family belonged to the principalia, the town aristocracy in Spanish Philippines.
• Rizal's parents were Don Francisco Mercado (1818-1898) and Doña Teodora Alonso Realonda (1826-1911).
• Don Francisco was a tenant-farmer of the Dominican-owned hacienda, and was affectionately called "a model of fathers" by Rizal.
• Doña Teodora was a remarkable woman with refined culture, literary talent, business ability, and the fortitude of Spartan women.
• Rizal had 11 siblings, including Saturnina, the oldest, and Soledad, the youngest.

Rizal's Education

• Rizal studied at the Ateneo de Manila (1872-1877) under the supervision of the Spanish Jesuits.
• He was initially refused admission due to being late for registration and being sickly and undersized for his age.
• Manuel Xerez Burgos intervened, and Rizal was reluctantly admitted at the Ateneo.
• Rizal was the first in his family to adopt the surname "Rizal", as the family name "Mercado" had come under suspicion of the Spanish authorities.

Rizal's Childhood

• Rizal was born in Calamba, which was named after a big native jar and was a hacienda town owned by the Dominican Order.
• Rizal's family acquired a second surname "Rizal" given by a Spanish alcalde mayor of Laguna, who was a family friend.
• Rizal wrote a poem "Un Recuerdo A Mi Pueblo" (In Memory of My Town) about his beloved town in 1876, when he was 15 years old.
• Rizal's childhood memories included his happy days in the family garden and the daily Angelus prayer.