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Jos Rizal was born to Francisco Engracio Rizal Mercado Alejandra II and Teodora Morales
Alonso Realonda Quintos. He hailed from a family of prosperous farmers. Rizal was the seventh of
eleven children. Jos's father adopted the family name 'Rizal' from 'Ricial', which meant 'green fields'.
Even as a child, Jos advocated political ideas ahead of the time. He spoke of freedom and citizen
rights, issues that brought on the ire of the authorities. He actively participated in poetry and essay
writing and made notable contributions to Philippine literature. He openly criticized Spanish
colonization of the Philippines.

Rizal graduated from Ateneo Municipal de Manila. He obtained a Land Surveyor and Assessor
Degree. He also studied Philosophy at the University of Santo Tomas Faculty of Arts and Letters. And,
this was not all; he registered for the University of Santo Tomas Faculty of Medicine and Surgery
course in ophthalmology, but did not complete the course on account of indiscriminate behavior
against Filipino students. Instead, he opted for Licentiate in Medicine from the Universidad Central de
Madrid.

Rizal also attended the University of Paris and Heidelberg for a second doctorate. His induction
as a member of Berlin's Ethnological and Anthropological Society is immortalized in his poem, 'A las
flores del Heidelberg'. He strongly advocated unification of Oriental and Occidental values. Rizal is
fondly remembered as a multi-faceted scholar. He displayed facets of his persona as a polymath,
ophthalmologist, educator and historian, alongside artistic pursuits like painting, sculpting and creative
writing. Rizal is remembered for authoring two popular novels: Noli me Tangere and El filibusterismo.
Rizal advocated a political system that presented scope for Philippine's participation in the
Cortes, freedom of assembly, freedom of speech and equal rights for all citizens. In 1892, he legalized
these social reforms, at the expense of being disbanded. He was openly declared 'enemy of the state'
by the Spanish due to his rebellious nature and ideologies promoted in his novels. He was imprisoned
in 1896, while his brother, Paciano, was tortured by the Spanish authorities. Due to his participation in
the nascent rebellion in 1892, Rizal was deported to Zamboanga. There, he