The Mercado - Rizal Family

The Rizals is considered one of the biggest families during their time. Domingo Lam-co, the family's paternal
ascendant was a full-blooded Chinese who came to the Philippines from Amoy, China in the closing years of the
17th century and married a Chinese half-breed by the name of Ines de la Rosa.

Researchers revealed that the Mercado-Rizal family had also traces of Japanese, Spanish, Malay and Even Negrito
blood aside from Chinese.

Jose Rizal came from a 13-member family consisting of his parents, Francisco Mercado II and Teodora Alonso
Realonda, and nine sisters and one brother.

FRANCISCO MERCADO (1818-1898)
Father of Jose Rizal who was the youngest of 13 offsprings of Juan and Cirila Mercado. Born in Biñan, Laguna on
April 18, 1818; studied in San Jose College, Manila; and died in Manila.

TEODORA ALONSO (1827-1913)
Mother of Jose Rizal who was the second child of Lorenzo Alonso and Brijida de Quintos. She studied at the
Colegio de Santa Rosa. She was a business-minded woman, courteous, religious, hard-working and well-read. She
was born in Santa Cruz, Manila on November 14, 1827 and died in 1913 in Manila.

SATURNINA RIZAL (1850-1913)
Eldest child of the Rizal-Alonzo marriage. Married Manuel Timoteo Hidalgo of Tanauan, Batangas.

PACIANO RIZAL (1851-1930)
Only brother of Jose Rizal and the second child. Studied at San Jose College in Manila; became a farmer and later a
general of the Philippine Revolution.

NARCISA RIZAL (1852-1939) 
The third child. married Antonio Lopez at Morong, Rizal; a teacher and musician.

OLYMPIA RIZAL (1855-1887)
The fourth child. Married Silvestre Ubaldo; died in 1887 from childbirth.

LUCIA RIZAL (1857-1919)
The fifth child. Married Matriano Herbosa.

MARIA RIZAL (1859-1945)
The sixth child. Married Daniel Faustino Cruz of Biñan, Laguna.

JOSE RIZAL (1861-1896)
The second son and the seventh child. He was executed by the Spaniards on December 30,1896.

CONCEPCION RIZAL (1862-1865)
The eight child. Died at the age of three.

JOSEFA RIZAL (1865-1945)
The ninth child. An epileptic, died a spinster.

TRINIDAD RIZAL (1868-1951)
The tenth child. Died a spinster and the last of the family to die.

SOLEDAD RIZAL (1870-1929)
The youngest child married Pantaleon Quintero.
Jose Rizal Biography
Birthday: June 19, 1861
Nationality: Filipino
Famous: Writers Revolutionaries
Died At Age: 35
Sun Sign: Gemini
Also Known As: Jose Protacio Rizal Mercado Y Alonso Realonda
Born In: Calamba, Laguna
Family:
Spouse/Ex-: Josephine Bracken
Father: Francisco Engracio Rizal Mercado De Alejandro
Mother: Teodora Morales Alonzo Realonda De Quintos
Siblings: Concepción, José Protasio, Josefa, Lucia, Maria, Narcisa, Paciano Rizal, Saturina, Soledad, Trinidad
Children: Francísco Rizal Y Bracken
Died On: December 30, 1896
Place Of Death: Bagumbayan, Manila[
Cause Of Death: Execution
Founder/Co-Founder: La Liga Filipina

Hailed as the greatest national hero of the Philippines, Jose Rizal was a man of strong
convictions who sacrificed his life for the nationalist cause. During his time Philippines was
under Spanish colonial rule and Rizal advocated for peaceful reforms in his home country. Rizal
was not just a nationalist, he was a multifaceted personality who was a qualified doctor, writer,
and an artist who could draw, paint, sculpt and carve. He was a prolific writer and poet who
through his eloquent writings inspired the nationalists for peaceful reforms as well as armed
conflicts where the need arose. Born into a family which valued education, he was encouraged
to study well and gain knowledge about a variety of subjects. Even as a youngster he was
known to harbor thoughts of political freedom and individual rights which were considered
radical by the authorities who frowned upon him. A well traveled man, he became involved in
the Propaganda Movement where he joined other Filipinos who wanted reforms. He also wrote
about the dark aspects of Spanish rule in a book which was banned in Philippines. Even though
he was a supporter of peaceful reforms, he was exiled from his home country, and later on
convicted of sedition and sentenced to death. The execution of this young nationalist fuelled the
Filipinos’ desire for independence further.

Childhood & Early Life

 He was born as Jose Protacio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda, one of the 11 children of Francisco
Engracio Rizal Mercado y Alejandro and Teodora Morales Alonso y Quintos. He later adopted a
shorter version of his name, Jose Rizal. His family was very prosperous.
 He enrolled at Ateneo de Municipal de Manila and graduated with a degree in Land Surveying and
Assessment in 1877. He had a deep interest in arts and thus he went to the Faculty of Arts and Letters
for a degree in Philosophy at the University of Santo Tomas.
 His mother was becoming blind during this time and the young man decided to specialize in
ophthalmology in order to help her. He enrolled at the Faculty of Medical Sciences at University of
Santo Tomas in 1878 for this purpose.
 He went to Spain to continue his studies and enrolled at the Universidad Central de Madrid from where
he earned his degree in medicine in 1884. He completed another degree in Philosophy and Letters
from the same institute the next year.
 He had an insatiable thirst for knowledge and went to France to further his knowledge of
ophthalmology at the University of Heidelberg. He completed his eye specialization in 1887 under the
tutelage of the famous professor Otto Becker.

Later Life
  In 1887, while studying medicine in the Universidad Central de Madrid, he wrote the novel ‘Noli Me
Tangere’. He harshly criticized the Spanish colonial rule in Philippines and wrote of the injustices and
brutalities suffered by the native people. His novel was banned by the government due to its scathing
contents.
 He had been exposed to the problematic life under the Spanish government and was aware of the
difficulties experienced by the Filipinos. He became the leader of the reform movement of Filipino
students in Spain and wrote several articles and essays in the Spanish newspaper ‘La Solidaridad’.
 He believed that Philippines was struggling with the twin problems of corrupt friars and bad
government. Ideas of progressive ideals, peaceful reforms, individual rights and rights for the Filipino
people formed the foundation of his writings.
 The main focus of the reforms he advocated were freedom of assembly and speech, representation in
the legislature, equal rights before the law for both Filipinos and Spanish, and that the Philippines be a
province of Spain. However, the colonial authorities did not favor these reforms.
 In 1891, his second novel ‘El Filibusterismo’ was published as a sequel to his first novel. The novel
dealt with dark and violent themes that were considerably different from the theme of its predecessor.
The novel profoundly impacted the Philippine society’s views about national identity and was banned in
some parts of the country for its portrayal of the Spanish government’s corruption.
 He returned to Philippines in 1892 as he felt he needed to be in the country to effectively bring about
reforms. He formed a civic movement called La Liga Filipina which campaigned for social reforms
through peaceful and legal means.
 By the early 1890s the government had branded Rizal an enemy of the State in spite of the fact that he
advocated peaceful reforms; the authorities were angry with his novels and writings which had exposed
the corruption of the Spanish Colonial government. He was exiled to Dapitan in July 1892.
 In Dapitan he continued his reform work by building a school for young boys, a hospital and a water
supply system. He also taught farming and worked on agricultural projects using abaca, a plant used
for making rope.
 In 1895, Cuba was engulfed by an epidemic of yellow fever and Rizal volunteered to serve as an army
doctor. His request was accepted by the Governor-General Ramon Blanco.
 By August 1896, a secret society Katipunan started a violent revolution. Even though Rizal was in no
way associated with the revolution, he was arrested enroute to Cuba.
 He was sent back to Manila where he was tried for rebellion, sedition and conspiracy and convicted of
all these charges.

Major Works
 Jose Rizal was a national hero of the Philippines who exposed the corruptions and wrongdoings of the
Spanish colonial government through his writings. He was an advocate of peaceful reforms and
founded the progressive organization ‘La Liga Filipina’ which was considered a threat by the Spanish
authorities and ultimately led to his arrest.

Personal Life & Legacy

 He had been involved with numerous women including Gertrude Beckett, Nelly Boustead, Seiko Usui
and Leonor Rivera.
 He had a civil marriage with an Irish woman from Hong Kong named Josephine Bracken. The couple
had one son, born prematurely, who died soon after birth.
 He was a polymath with the exceptional ability to master several subjects and skills. He was a doctor,
writer, poet, artist, farmer, educator, and historian. He also had considerable knowledge in the fields of
economics, anthropology, dramatics and sociology. He could speak 22 languages.
 He was arrested in October 1896 and convicted on charges of sedition, conspiracy and rebellion. He
was sentenced to death. His execution was carried out on December 30, 1896 by a squad of Filipino
soldiers of the Spanish Army.
Trivia
 Nearly every town and city in Philippines has a street named after this great national hero.

ACHIEVEMENTS AND CONTRIBUTIONS TO

 He received his bachelor's degree in Arts with highest honors
 Taking the first year in agriculture in the Ateneo, he also completed this with highest honors.
 In a competition held by the "Liceo Artistico Litarario" with the poem "Al Juventud Filipina"
(To the Filipino Youth) he won the special prize for "indians" and mestizos.
 In the same contest, the first prize for prose was also awarded to José Rizal's "Consejo de los
dioses (Council of the Gods)" and the judges gave it another special prize as the best critical
appreciation of the author of "Don Quixote."
 Wrote 2 novels (Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo) that depicts the tyranny and abuses of
the Spanish regime in the Philippines.
 Annotated Dr. Morga’s book which narrates the real life of the Filipinos when the Spaniards
came to the Philippines.
 Wrote some good articles in La Solidaridad which 2 became famous such as THE
INDOLENCE OF THE FILIPINOS AND THE PHILIPPINES WITHIN A CENTURY.
 Jose Rizal’s greatest achievement, he was declared to be the National Hero of the Philippines.