MACANDOG, Lyka B.

3EDFIL6A

THE PRINCIPALIA

One of the key reasons the Rizal family was wealthy was because its lineage, both
maternal and paternal, can be traced to principalian roots.

The principalia was a class of Filipinos who were considered nobility during the Spanish
occupation. The original principalias were the ex-datus, who cooperated with the
Spanish in subjugating their former subjects. They were rewarded with government
positions as gobernadorcillos (mayor) and cabezas de barangay (town chief). Not
everyone could be a member of the principalia, because the status was hereditary –
including the government positions they held. They were tasked with collecting tributes
and taxes, which they used to enrich their families.
The heads of the family and their eldest sons were exempted from taxes, conscription,
and forced labor. When the concept of land ownership was introduced by the Spanish,
the principalia took advantage of it by claiming that agricultural land was their private
property (when in fact it was their subjects’ lands or public lands), which they then sold
to the state. They also reinforced their political power by selling and donating lands to
the friars, which became the infamous friar estates.

Despite Spanish reforms removing the dynastic nature of the offices of the
gobernadorcillo and cabeza de barangay and introducing elections, the principalia
maintained their influence and power because they were the only ones who were
allowed to vote.

This allowed them to pass down their wealth, influence, and positions in government to
their kin, resulting in generations of wealthy Filipinos, including the family of the
national hero.

RIZAL’S WEALTHY GRANDPARENTS

If Rizal was, in contemporary terms, a “rich kid,” his parents were even richer kids.
According to the National Historical Commission of the Philippines and records from
the Biñan government, Rizal’s paternal grandfather, Juan Mercado, was Biñan’s
gobernadorcillo in 1808, 1813, and 1823. His paternal great-grandfather, Francisco
Mercado, also held the position in 1783, and also incidentally owned the largest herd of
carabaos in all of Biñan.

The Rizal Family was Favored by the Friars

Another reason that explains the Rizal family’s affluence was their closeness to a certain
friar order in Biñan. Letters between brothers Paciano and Jose Rizal reveal their
family’s links to the friar orders.

The Rizal family lived in a spacious house with a large basement where animals and
produce were kept. They lived comfortably and had no debts. However, despite being
branded as affluent, the Rizals were, in reality, an upper-class family who had just
enough to send all eleven children to good schools. When Jose Rizal was in Europe, he
received allowance only sporadically from Paciano. There were times when Rizal's
friends would cover costs for him, including the publishing of his two novels.

By contrast, Pedro Paterno, Rizal’s contemporary, never needed an allowance when he

was in Europe. He travelled around Madrid in a personal coach that bore a silver coat of
arms he had designed. His personal belongings, such as his bedsheets, stationery, and
other items, also bore this silver symbol. Paterno was a truly rich ilustrado who used his
power and influence to sway the Spanish and the Americans for his own benefit.

Still, it is clear the Rizals came from a lineage of influential and wealthy principalia, and
that their money mainly came from inherited wealth and influence cultivated by their
ancestors. They were neither spoiled nor excessively pampered, but lived decently. Hard
work and thriftiness were values that were instilled among all Rizal children.

Had they been a little wealthier, perhaps Paciano would not have bothered tilling the
land and taking up the cudgels for more oppressed indios, and the national hero would
not have bothered writing novels about injustices he had never felt.

Reference:
https://www.esquiremag.ph/the-good-life/pursuits/rizal-family-net-worth-a1957-20181020-
lfrm?fbclid=IwAR0ll6Rqm9OgHR682ya1GnTWVWZUd0G4U5sJPr9eqwxPuG75rooDwkus6Nw
#:~:text=The%20Principalia,nobility%20during%20the%20Spanish%20occupation