When Rizal published his annotation of Antonio de Morga's 

Sucesos in 1890, he had

already travelled in parts of Spain, France, Germany, Czechoslovakia, Austria,
Switzerland, Italy, China, Hong Kong, Japan, the United States and England. He
could converse in Spanish, French, German, Italian, Japanese and English. He was
only 29-years-old!

In his travels he familiarized himself with each country's history, customs, ways of
life and language. He held the common sense belief that learning a people's
language "will open ... the treasures of a country, that is, the knowledge, the
learning" and "its own way of thinking." Although he was interested in the social
and scientific progress he witnessed abroad and understood the factors that lead to
such advancement, he was even more fascinated by the collage of cultural symbols
that become embraced by a people as their own national identity. A consummate
student of ancient and modern history, Rizal was convinced that the enduring and
unifying strength of all great societies lies in their collective sense of tradition -- a
tradition that is carried forth and becomes that people's cultural history.

By publishing his annotated version of de Morga's Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas

(Events of the Philippine Islands, originally published in 1609), Rizal's intent was not
only to provide the Filipino people their early history, a pre-Spanish history, but to
present to them their own authentic culture and identity. Aware of most of the books
written about the Philippines, he selected the Sucesos because he "considered it
necessary to invoke the testimony of an illustrous Spaniard who governed the
destinies of the Philippines in the beginning of her new era and witnessed the last
moments of our ancient nationality." His annotations included clarifications and
amplifications of details, refutations of statements where necessary, and confirmations
when checked against other sources.

Rizal offered the annotated Sucesos to the Filipinos with the wise counsel that "to
foretell the destiny of a nation, it is necessary to open the books that tell of her
past."