The Roles of the

Chinese Meztizos
during the 19th
Century in the
Philippines

Established the middle-class hierarchy in the Philippines

by seizing control of the internal trading economy that
was run by the Chinese immigrants before their repulsion.
Their influential status in the economy resulted to a
demand sweeping social reforms.

They emerged to become landholders, wholesalers,

retailers, and the principal owners of the artisan shop.
They supported the stability of the economy.

The Chinese mestizos contributed to the formation of

national identify. This was evident in the latter part of
the 19th century when they became clearly influential in
the economy of the Philippines.
-Their involvement in the armed revolt against the
colonizers showed they recognized Spain as the enemy
—the oppressor.
Experiences of Rizal
Abroad that Helped
Filipinos to be More
Sensible About
Nationalism

 National hero Jose Rizal left the Philippines in May 1882 to continue his
studies abroad after becoming disillusioned with how Filipinos were treated
as second-class citizens in schools and other public places.
After spending three months in France, Rizal returned to Madrid and
considered writing a book that exposed Spain's colonial history with the
Philippines. With the release of the novel Noli Me Tangere in March 1887
in Germany, this idea came to life.
Rizal actively participated in the Propaganda movement, which was composed of Filipinos
living in Spain and tried to draw attention of the Spaniards to the issues of the Spanish
colony in the Philippines. He wrote articles in Manila and abroad, met with overseas Filipino
to discuss their duty to the country, and urged the Spanish government to enact reforms in
the Philippines, such as allowing press freedom and granting Filipinos representation in the
Spanish Cortes.
Rizal came back to the Philippines after 5 years, but was met with the friar's fury over
Noli Me Tangere. It was even banned to possess or read the book. Months later, Rizal
left for Hong Kong due to pressure by the government, families, and friends
 In May 1888, Rizal arrived in England. He was admitted to the British
Museum in August, where he copied Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas, a massive
study of the Philippines by Antonio de Morga, which Rizal later annotated
for publication "as a gift to the Filipinos."
He spent all of his time in the museum reading any information he could
find about Philippine history. He continued to correspond with a various
people including his family, friends, and the Filipinos in Spain. He traveled
back and forth between London and Paris from 1888 to 1890, where he
wrote history-related studies and political articles.
He also made frequent trips to Spain, where he met intellectuals from the Philippines
including Marcelo H. del Pilar, Graciano Lopez-Jaena, and Mariano Ponce.
El Filibusterismo, Rizal's second book, was completed in March 1891 in France. He had
intended to publish the book in Belgium, but he was struggling financially. He was cutting
back on meals and expenses because his brother's help from home was taking longer than
expected to arrive. El Filibusterismo was finally printed in Ghent in September 1890 thanks
to donations from Rizal's friends.