RIZAL’S FAMILY BACKGROUND

WHO IS JOSE RIZAL?

On June 19, 1861, José Protacio Rizal Mercado y Alonso
Realonda was born in Calamba in the Philippines' Laguna
Province. A brilliant student who became proficient in multiple
languages. Jose Rizal is the 7th child of his father Francisco
Mercado II, his mother Teodora Alonso Realonda. He has ten
siblings, nine sisters and one brother. Jose Rizal came from a
wealthy family in Calamba, Laguna, Considered one of the largest
families in those times. The only brother of Jose Rizal was Paciano
Rizal and was the second child. Rizal’s nickname is PEPE.
MEANING OF JOSE RIZAL’S NAME.

José - was chosen by his mother who was a devotee of the

Christian saint San Jose (St. Joseph)
Protacio – suggested by a family friend which come from a Christian
Calendar
Mercado – adopted in 1731 by Domingo Lamco, a businessman (the
parternal great great grandfather of Rizal) which means
“Market”
Rizal – from the word racial which means a field where wheat, cut
while still green, sprouts again
Alonso – an old surname of his mother
Y – and
Realonda – used by his mother from the surname of Rizal’s
godmother
TRIVIA. Ever wondered why national hero Jose Rizal
was called Pepe?
Saint Joseph was the putative (commonly accepted)
father of Jesus Christ. In Latin, San Jose’s name is
always followed by the letters ‘P.P’ for pater
putativus. In Spanish, the letter ‘P’ is pronounced as
‘peh’ giving rise to the nickname Pepe for Jose.
Activity:

Each student will make a Family Tree in a long

coupon bond. Collect photos of the people you
want to include in your family tree. Explain the
history of your family. Write the meaning or history
of your nickname.
ADDITIONAL TRIVIA:

- Paciano completed his tagalog version of noli, edited

by rizal but the original manuscript was lost and
never found.
- MAKAMISA title of tagalog novel rizal wanted to
continue
- No original manuscript exist
- Herminigildo cruz author of kung sino kumatha kay
florante, received from a friend, gabrriel bato
francisco who also got it from a certain saturnino
raselis an allegedly a friend of rizal, he claimed he
gotten it from Rizal, but never appear in rizal
writings
Rizal did not write the poem at 8yrs old

a. Could not use k, c is common used letter

before
b.Kalayaan word was known to rizal when he
was 21
c. At 8, rizal are not fluent of latin

Maybe rizal did the poem but not realy when he

was 8yrs old.