
JOSE RIZAL’S LIFE To the east is the country’s largest lake “The Dagat
BIRTH OF RIZAL
 Jose Rizal was born on June 19, 1861 (11:00pm
– midnight) in Calamba, Laguna.
 He is the seventh child of Fransisco Mercado
and Teodora Alonso y Realonda
o The family belongs to the affluent
“principalia class”
 Built a house made of stone (bahay na bato)
 The Mercado family grew corn, rice, and sugar
cane. They also operated a sugar mill, a flour
mill and ham press. They are also involved in
the trade of sugar and dye.
o The Mercado family did not do the
actual farming.
 They were able to purchase a second bahay na
bato.
o has a library consisting a collection of
1000 books.
o has a wide yard planted with various
fruits.
 “One gathers from Rizal’s own account of his
boyhood that he was brought up in
circumstances that even in the Philippines of our
day would be considered privileged. Rizal’s
father became one of the town’s wealthiest men,
the first to build a stone house and buy another,
keep a carriage, own a library, and send his
children to school in Manila. Jose himself had an
aya, that is to say, a nanny or personal servant,
although he had five elder sisters who , in less
affluent circumstances, could have been
expected to look after him. His father engaged a
private tutor for him. Later, he would study in
private schools, go to the university, finish his
course abroad. It was the classic method for
producing a middle class intellectual, and it does
much to explain the puzzling absence of any real
consciousness.”
RIZAL’S CHILDHOOD YEARS
Memorias de un Estudiante de Manila
Rizal wrote beautiful memories of his birth place
 The surrounding of his hometown, around it were
green and verdant fields.
Tabang” or freshwater sea.
 To the south is “Mount Makiling”
 He imagines the stories of his yaya (nanny)
 Un Recuerdo De Mi Pueblo
Rizal’s big family was a happy family
 Nickname: “Ute or Moy” / Pepe or Pepito
 Francisco Mercado: “a model father”
o Gave his children an education
commensurate with the family’s fortune.
 Teodora Alonso: “cultured woman of Manila”
o She knew literature and spoke better
Spanish than he did. A mathematician
and has read many books.
 Brother: Studied at Colegio de San Jose
 Sisters: Studied at Colegio de la Immaculada
Conception
o A fashionable boarding school in Manila.
o Death of his younger sister, Concha
who died of disease.
 Rizal was small and had a fragile physique. His
head was large.
 “Someday people will make statues of me”
Jose was taught by his mother
 Lucas Padua and Leon Monroy taught
Jose Latin
 Seeing that young Rizal has passion for
poetry, his mother encouraged him.
 He also had passion for anything new.
He also had a taste of mischief
 Explosion
 Severe spanking
 One of the memorable anecdotes between
young jose and his mother was when she was
reading him a Spanish book entitled “El Amigo
De Los Ninos” (The Children’s Friend)
 Rizal has three uncles which added to his list of
inspirations:
o Gregorio Alberto: was a book lover
o Jose: was educated in Calcutta, India
o Manuel
 8 years old: Rizal wrote a tagalog drama which
was staged in the fiesta of Calamba.
 o The Gobernadorcillos of Paete were
present at the time of the event and was
very impressed.
 Wrote “Sa aking mga Kabata”
o It was a praise to the native language of
the Tagalogs which became the basis of
the country’s national language.
o Appealed to love their native tongue.
o National inclination through the
appreciation of the country’s culture and
heritage.
o “To the Filipino youth” – English version
ATENEO MUNICIPAL INTRAMUROS
Dec. 30, 1896 – early morning
 Rizal walked to his place of execution together
with two Jesuits – Fr. Jose Villaclara (his
professor) and Fr. Estanislao March (whom he
had known in his student days)
 Passing by Ateneo, he turned his face to it
several times.
 Upon reaching Bagumbayan, he looked back
again, and seeing the towers of San Ignacio
Church, he asked the Jesuits:
“Is that the Ateneo”
“Yes” – Jesuits
“Well, I spent seven years there.” He added.
 Addressing his lawyer, Don Luis Taviel de
Andrade (who walked on the side of Fr. March)
he said: “Everything that the Jesuits taught me
were good and holy…”
FORMAL EDUCATION
 Rizal continued his education under Leon
Monroy
 In 1870, Paciano brought Rizal to the school
managed by Maestro Juliano Aquino Cruz
 His teacher asked him if he knew Latin and
Spanish “Un Poco Senor” (Little sir)
 The little boy become an object of bullying from
his classmate
o Pedro Lakundanan: the son of the
school master.
o Jose defeated the class bully.
 Jose became an outstanding student
o Maestro Juliano recommended that
Jose should be sent to Manila.
 In December 1871, he bid farewell.
 He collected pebbles from the rivers.
 After Christmas, Don Fransisco decided to send
Jose to Manila to continue his studies.
A MANILA STUDENT: THE ATENEAN YEARS
1872- 1877
 In June 1872, Jose was sent to Manila to study
at the Ateneo Municipal.
 It was only four months after the execution of the
GOMBURZA.
 Jose passed a test administered by the
Dominicans
 Ateneo was the former Escuela Pia or charity
school of Manila
o Under the supervision of the Jesuits.
o It was the counterpart of the Dominican
run of Colegio de San Juan de Letran
 Jose almost did not enroll because the school
registrar Fr. Margin Fernando believed that he
was late for registration
o Manuel Xeres Burgos helped Jose to
enter Ateneo.
 Jose used the name “Rizal”
 The curriculum of the five-year secondary
course (leading to the degree of Bachiller en
Artes or AB ( Ateneo Municipal )
o Christian doctrine
o Sacred history
o Latin
o Spanish
o Greek
o French
o English
o Algebra
o Trigonometry
o Geometry
o Universal history
o Spanish history
o Latin literature
o Rhetoric and poetics
o Social ethics
o Psychology
o Logic and other branches of Philosophy
 Rizal was called an Externo
 He lived in a house in Carabello Street in Santa
Cruz outside the walled city.
o The house was owned by Titay who
owed the Mercado family P300.00
  The style of education practiced by the Jesuits
gave emphasis to rigid discipline, character
building and religious instruction.
 As a new student, Jose ranked at the bottom of
the class.
 In Rizal’s class, they divided the class into two
groups namely:
o Romans
o Carthaginians
A day in Ateneo starts with an attendance to a mass
in the Chapel
 On his 1st day, Rizal heard mass and prayed
fervently for success and guidance.
 Class is composed of:
o Peninsular Spaniards
o Insulars
o Mestizos
o Natives
 Fr. Jose Bech: Rizal’s 1st Professor
o “tall, thin man with body slightly bent
forward, with a hurried walk, an ascetic
face, severe and inspired, small
deepsunken eyes with a sharp nose
which was almost Greek and thin lips
forming an arc whose ends fell forwards
the chin”
1st semester at Ateneo
 Rizal was placed at the bottom of the class and
assigned in Carthaginians.
 His crude knowledge of Spanish was a source of
ridicule from his Spanish classmates.
 Rizal studied hard and spent long hours reading
 He convinced his father to acquire a whole set of
Historia Universal by Cesar Cantu
 Favorite books:
o Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander
Dumas
o Travels of the Philippines by Feodor
Jagor
 He enrolled in Santa Isabel College during
break time.
 Excellent student during first year.
o Emperor of Carthaginians
o His prize was a religious picture.
o Fraternity of Mary and Saint Louis
Gonzaga
Rizal’s second semester
 Did not try studying as hard as the previous
semester
 He placed second but his grades remain
excellent
 Rizal’s life at this time was marked by sadness
o Spending his vacation in Tanauan,
Batangas with the invitation of his sister
Saturnina did not lift his spirits.
Rizal’s Second Year
 Rizal regretted having neglected his studies
 Regained the title of emperor.
 Received a gold medal for his excellent grades.
o He won only single medal in latin.
Fourth year in Ateneo
 June 14, 1875: He had one of his professor Fr.
Francisco Paula de Sanchez whom he
described as a great educator and scholar and
had a great devotion to students progress.
 Rizal became inspired to study harder and write
poetry.
 Rizal wrote man poems which were inspired by
Fr. Sanchez.
o Note: all of Rizal’s poems in Ateneo
were pro-spanish in nature.
o These were about history and,
childhood, and war.
 Outstanding poems written by rizal in 1876
o La Tragedia de San Eustaquio (The
Tragedy of St. Eustace)
o Un Recuerdo a Mi Pueblo (In Memory
of My Town)
o Alianza Intima Entra la Religion y la
Buena Educacion (Intimate Alliance
between Religion and Good Education)
o El Cautiverio y el Triunfo: Batalla de
Lucena y Prison de Boabdil (The
Captivity and Triumph: The Captivity
and Imprisonment of Boabdil)
o La Entrada Triunfal de los Reyes
Catolicos en Granada (The Triumphal
Entry of the Catholic Monarchs into
Granada)
During his final year in Ateneo:
o El Heroismo de Colon (The Heroism of
Colon)
o Un Dialogo Alusivo a la Despidida a los
Colegiales ( A Farewell Dialogue to his
Fellow Students)
 Rizal topped all his examinations in Ateno in all
subjects.
 Won five medals
 Proudly went back to Calamba to show his
excellent achievements to his parents
 Rizal returned to Ateneo to complete his studies
 Rizal obtained tha highest grades in all his
subjects amd graduated at the head of the class
 On March 23, 1877: He received his degree of
Bachelor of Arts with Honors.
 o Note: the degree is the equivalent of
today’s high school diploma.
o 1872 Arithmetic . . . . . . . . . . . .Excellent
1872-3 Latin 1. . . . . . . . . . . . . ….."
Spanish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ……. "
Greek . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ……… "
o 1873-4 Latin 2. . . . . . . . . . . . . Excellent
Spanish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ……"
Greek . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . …….. "
Geography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ……"
o 1874-5 Latin 3. . . . . . . . . . . . . .Excellent
Spanish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ……."
Greek. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ………. "
General History . . . . . . . . . . . …….."
Hist. of Spain and Phil. . . . . . . ……."
Arithmetic and Algebra . . . . . …….. "
o 1875-6 Rhetoric and Poetry . . .Excellent
o French . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ………. "
Geometry and Trigonometry . . . ……"
o 1876-7 Philosophy 1 . . . . . . . Excellent
o Mineralogy and Chemistry . . . . . ….."
Philosophy 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . …….."
Physics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ………"
o Botany and Zoology. . . . . . . . . …….."
Bachelor in Arts. . . . . . . . . . . . ………"
THE OTHER ASPECTS OF RIZAL IN ATENEO
THE PAINTER AND THE SCULPTOR
 During his spare time, he studied painting under
Agustin Saez, a famous Spanish painter.
 He also studied under Romualdo Teodoro de
Jesus aka “Lolong”
 In Ateneo, Rizal impressed his Jesuit professors
by carving the image of the blessed virgin mary.
 Fr. Lleonart requested Rizal to carve an image
of the Sacred heart of Jesus.
 Later these sculptures was shown to Jose during
finals hours at Fort Santiago in 1896.
A DEVOUT CATHOLIC
 Rizal became a member of the marian
congregation.
 He regularly attended mass in the chapel before
going to class.
 Two of his poems in Ateneo were about the
Child Jesus and the Virgin Mary
o Al Nino Jesus (To the Child Jesus)
o A la Virgin Maria (To the Virgin Mary)
UNIVERSITY OF SANTO TOMAS
1877-1882
 GOMBURZA were garroted.
 Fr. Toribio del Pilar, Jose Ma. Basa, Antonio
Ma. Regidor, and Baldivino Mauricio were
exciled and condemned.
 Dona Teodora feared that with additional
knowledge, the Spanish authorities might cut off
Jose’s head.
 A family council was held
o Don Francisco and Paciano were able to
prevail over Dona Teodora’s objections
 In April 1877, Rizal enrolled at the University of
Santo Tomas
o Taking Philosophy and Letter
o Lawyer’s course – father’s choice
o Other Atenean professors suggested
that he take up priesthood or farming
o Rizal considered going into literature,
medicine or law
1st term at UST (1878-1879)
 Rizal studied at the Philosophy program taking
up Cosmology, Metaphysics, Theodicy and the
History of Philosophy.
 In the following term, Rizal shifted to Medicine
RIZAL’S LIFE AT UST
 Rizal entered to a very different world
 In ateneo. The professors watched over their
students, every minute of their time was
accounted for and used for activities in school.
 At ust, students attended class for only three
hours and the rest of the day was free,
o This was the practice in Europe in which
college students were given freedom
because they are considered to be more
responsible.
o They would cross over the pasig river to
neighboring arrabal district of binondo
and spend time at the cafes and other
watering holes at Escolta.
 He returned to Ateneo in 1877-1878 to take up
land surveying course.
o He completed the surveyor’s course and
was awarded the title of Perito
Agrimensor
 o However, Jose could not practice the Clinic and
surveyor’s profession. Pathologic
Histology
Therapeutics, Sobresaliente
Medical Matter
and the Art of
Prescribing
The Thomasian Student Surgical Bueno (Good)
Anatomy,
 Rizal academic performance paled with that in Operations,
Ateneo. External Medical
 Rizal took 21 subjects in UST. Applications and
Bandages
o He garnered one “passing grade”, eight
“good grades” and only six “excellent o 1881 – 1882 – FOURTH YEAR OF
grades” MEDICINE
Medical Notable (Very Good)
o 1877 – 1878 – PREPARATORY
Pathology
COURSE OF THEOLOGY AND LAW Surgical Notable (Very Good)
Cosmology Sobresaliente Pathology
Metaphysics Sobresaliente Obstetrics, Notable (Very Good)
Theodicy Sobresaliente Sickness of
History of Sobresaliente Women and
Philosophy Children
Siphilography Notable (Very Good)

o 1878 – 1879 – PREPARATORY RIZAL EXPERIENCED RACIAL DISCRIMINATION IN

COURSE OF MEDICINE UST? RIZAL WAS NOT SATISFIED WITH HIS
Advanced Aprovechado GRADES IN UST?
Physics (very good)
Advanced Sobresaliente  Rizal biographers notably from Wenceslao
Chemistry
Retana, Auston Coates to Gregorio Zaide
Advanced Aprovechado
Natural History chorused that:
o “Rizal’s low grades were the result of
o FIRST YEAR OF MEDICINE racial discrimination and bigotry, that the
General Anatomy Bueno (Good) Dominican professors were hostile to
and Histology 1 him and that Filipino students were
Descriptive Bueno (Good) “racially discriminated” in the University.”
Anatomy 1
o “They also made a comparison of his
Exercises of Bueno (Good)
Osteology and stellar grades at Ateneo with those of
Dissection the UST.”
 In contrary,
o 1879 – 1880 – SECOND YEAR OF
o Rizal never said or wrote anything
MEDICINE
General Anatomy Bueno (Good) complaining about his grades in the
and Histology 2 university.
Descriptive Bueno (Good) o Dominican University favored Rizal
Anatomy 2 instead of discriminating him. He was
Exercises of Bueno (Good)
granted the rare privilege of studying
Dissection
Physiology, Bueno (Good) simultaneously the preparatory course in
Private and Public Medicine and the 1st year of Medicine.
Hygiene  Rizal’s biographers made use of chapter class in
physics in El Filibusterismo in illustrating the
o 1880 – 1881 THIRD YEAR OF arrogance of Dominican professors and that
MEDICINE students were not given the opportunity to use
General Aprobado scientific apparatuses which were just placed in
Pathology, its (Passed) the cabinets for the visitors to see.
 o This allegation was far from the truth
and students were actually allowed to
use such instruments.
o As for the arrogance of some
professors, there was at least one
incident in which lay a professor named
Jose Franco
 During the 1st year of medicine, Rizal’s class had
24 students, then only seven managed to take
the final examinations. Rizal landed behind
Cornelio Mapa.
 In the 1st year course, there were six Spaniards
enrolled with Rizal. They consisted of 3
peninsulars and 3 Philippine born Spaniards. If
the Dominicans discriminated the Filipinos,
these 6 spaniards would have passed the entire
course.
o By the time Rizal reached his fourth
year, only 1 spanish student remained –
Jose Resurreccion y Padilla.