RIZAL’S FAMILY, CHILDHOOD

AND
EARLY EDUCATION

LESSON 2
 RIZAL’S BIRTH
 Born in Calamba, Laguna on June 19,1861 and was baptized
three days after his birth by Rev. Rufino Collantes. He was
named “Jose” in known of San Jose.
 Jose Protacio Rizal Mercado Y Alonso Realonda

RIZAL’S PATERNAL ANCESTORS

Jose Rizal is a mixture of ancestry, a blood mixture of Negor,
Indonesian, Malay, Chinese, Japanese and Spanish.

FATHER’S SIDE
DOMINGO LAMCO A CHINESE INES DE LA ROSA ( A WELL- TO-DO
IMMIGRANT FROM THE FUKIEN CITY CJINESE CHRISTIAN GIRL OF
ARRIVED IN MANILA ABOUT 1690 CHANGCHOW )

FRANCISCO MERCADO CIRILA BERNACHA

JUAN MERCADO CIRILA ALEJANDRO

( RIZAL’S GRANDFATHER )

HAD 13 CHILDREN , THE YOUNGEST BEING FRANCISCO MERCADO

(RIZAL’S FATHER)
RIZAL’S PATERNAL ANCESTOR

1. DOMINGO LAM-CO
Rizal’s great- great grandfather, a chinese merchant from Fukien City, China. He arrived in
Manila in 1731. He used Mercado means “ market” as his surname because he was a
merchant. He married Ines Dela Rosa.

1. FRANCISCO MERCADO
Son of Domingo Lamco and Ines de la Rosa from Binan and married Cirila Bennacho, a
Municipal Mayor of Binan.

1. JUAN MERCADO
Rizal’s grandfather, married to Cirila Alejandro, a Chinese Filipina Mestiza, Like his father,
Juan Mercado was elected thrice as Gobernadorcillo of Binan.

1. FRANCISCO MERCADO
Rizal’s father the youngest of the 13 children of Juan Mercado and Cirila Alejandro.

RIZAL’S MATERNAL ANCESTOR

1. EUGENIO URSUA
Rizal’s maternal great great grandfather married Benigna ( surname unknown )
 2. REGINA
Daughter of Eugenio Ursua and Benigna who married Manuel de Quintos a Filipino
Chinese lawyer of Pangasinan.

2. BRIGIDA
Another daughter of Eugenio and Benigna . she was married to Engr. Lorenzo Alberto
Alonso a prominent Spanish Filipino mestizo of Binan. They had 5 children namely:
Narcisa, Teodora ( Rizal’s mother ), Gregorio, Manuel, Jose

The children of Brigida and Alberto adopted the family name of “ Rizal” from a list of
Spanish surnames provided by Governor Narciso Claveria. The purpose of adding or changing
a surname is for easy identification, pronounciation and recollection of a person’s identity.

In the case of Francisco Mercado, Rizal’s father he did not like Spanish surnames sent to
him so he chose his own surname RIZAL.

He believed that “Rizal” is more fitting for his farming clan because Rizal or “Ricial” means
green field or new posture. However, Jose was the only one who used Rizal as surname.

RIZAL’S FAMILY
The Rizal family belong to the principales, and they are one of
the richest and distinguished families in Calamba during those times.
Rizal family build a large stone house, with horse drawn carriage or
caruaje, big home library with 1,000 volumes and a general store in
the town, and a small flour mill and a home- made ham press.

In addition to farming rice, corn and sugar cane, the family

raised pigs, turkeys, chicken in their backyard. Rizal family was
considered as “ illustrados” or affluence, the children were able to
study in exclusive schools in Manila.
THE RIZAL CHILDREN
v

Don Francisco and Dona Teodora were blessed with eleven ( 11 ) children namely:

1. Saturnina – Married to Manuel Timoteo Hidalgo and oftentimes called “ Neneng”

2. Paciano – He studied at San Jose Colle in Manila, joined Spanish- Philippine Revolution
and became a general. He died an old bachelor, with a common law wife Severina Decena
and had two children a boy and a girl.
3. Narcisa – Married to Antonio Lopez with a pet name “ Sisa “
4. Olympia – Married to Silvestro Ubaldo with a nickname “ Ypia”
5. Lucia – Married to Matriano Herbosa
6. Maria – married to Daniel Faustino Cruz of Binan. Her nickname was “Biang”
7. Jose – Considered as the “ lucky seven “. He lived with Josephine Bracken a pretty Irish girl
blessed with a son but died after birth and was burried in Dapitan. He was called “ Pepe”
8. Conception – Died at the age of three. Her death was the first sorrow of Rizal.
9. Josefa – She remained sigle, an epileptic, an old maid, called “ Panggoy “ as nickname.
10. Trinidad – She died an old maid at the age of 83
11. Soledad – the youngest of the Rizal children married to Pantaleon Quintero, called as “
Choleng “.

RIZAL’S EARLY CHILDHOOD YEARS

 Jose was designed by nature to be an artist. This he revealed before he
was five years of age, for without any assistance from others he began to
draw with his pencil and to mould in wax or clay any object he saw about
him.

 Jose Rizal also owned a pony and used it to have long rides into the
sorrounding country which was rich in scenery. He also took long walks
together with his big black dog named Usman.
 The little boy spent also much of his time in the church, which was conveniently when the
mother suggested that this might be an indication of religious inclination, his prompt response
was that he liked to watch the people.

 Even in his childhood, Rizal already knew how to respect the rights of others and requested
his elders to reason with him rather than get mad at him for small offenses.

 The childhood of Jose Rizal can be characterized by his desire to learn. Jose Rizal was not a
physically blessed or strong child however, he had a strong will guided and taught by his
mother, his first teacher. He learned almost without the use of books. His mother was the one
who laid the foundation of his great knowledge achieved in such a short time.

 Three uncles who were brothers of his mother also had much influence on he early childhood
of Jose Rizal. The youngest uncle named Jose, took care of teaching regular lessons to Rizal.
His huge uncle Manuel developed his physique until he had a body of silk and steel and no
longer a skinny and sickly boy. The last uncle, Gregorio instilled in the mind of Rizal that it was
not easy to obtain something until you put effort into it.

SORROW AND TRAGEDIES IN

RIZAL’S LIFES….
 The untimely death of his younger sister Conception ( Concha ) at the age of three, was
Rizal’s first sorrow. Rizal was very fond of his sister.

 The malicious charge that caused a tremendous impact in the life of Rizal. Dona Teodora
was suddenly charged that she and her brother Jose Alberto attempted to poison the latter’s
wife that caused a temendous impact in the life of Rizal.

 The Cavite uprising in 1872 – Gomez, Burgos and Zamora were executed at sunrise on
Febuary 17 1872 by order of Governor Beneral Izquierdo despite the plea of clemency by the
Archbishop. They were accused as instigators and leaders of the uprising/ revolt.

 The harsh treatment Rizal’s townmates had to endure at the hands of Spanish guardia civil.

 The rude treatment to children and women.

THE EARLY EDUCATION IN
CALAMBA
 He learned at the age of three the alphabet, and prayers from his patient, conscientious and
understanding mother.

 He learned how to read and write from his tutor, Maestro Celestino and second tutor, Maestro
Lucas Padua.

 Rizal used to visit Father Leoncio Lopez, the town parish, to listen to the stimulating opinions
of the priest on current events and sound philosphy of life.

 On the many stories told by Dona Teodora to Jose, the tragic fate of the young moth left a
deep impress/ impact on Rizal’s mind that to sacrifice one’s life is worthwhile.

RIZAL’S LIFE AND EDUCATION IN BINAN.

 Rizal left Calamba for Binan in June 1869.
 Brought by Paciano to Maestro Justiniano Aquino Cruz, the former
teacher of Paciano. The school was in Maestro’s house.
 Rizal learned Spanish, Latin, and other subjects from Maestro Cruz.
 Rizal also learned drawing and painting from old Juancho, Maestro
Cruz’s father- in- law.
 In academic studies, Rizal beat all Binan boys in Spanish, Latin and
other subjects.
 Rizal left Binan for Calamba on a Saturday afternoon on December
17, 1870 after one and one-half year of schooling. He boarded the
steamer Talim with French man Arturo Camps, a friend of his father.
RIZAL AT ATENEO & UST
(FIRST YEAR TERM 1872 – 1873)
 Don Francisco, who first wanted Rizal to study at Letran changed his mind, and decide to send
him to Ateneo instead.

 His suppose entrance to Ateneo Municipal ( which became Ateneo de Manila later ) was first
rejected by Father Magin Ferando, the college registrar, because Rizal was late from
registration and was sickly and udersized from his age of 11 years. However, his brother
Paciano, a former aid of martyred Father Jose Burgos, pleaded to Manuel Xerex Burgos to
intercede. At last, Jose Rizal was admitted in the school but was assigned to sit at last row of
the class.

 Rizal boarded a house on Caraballo Street was owned by a spinster, Titay. Rizal boarded her
house in order to collect a part of the P300.00 debt of Titay.

 The Jesuit system of education at the Ateneo was more advanced than other colleges in that
period. It offered courses in Bachelor of Arts and Vocational courses.

 Students were divided into two groups, the Roman Empire, consisting of the Internos (
boarders ) and the Carthaginian Empire composed of externos ( non- boarders .

 Rizal’s first professor at the Ateneo was Father Jose Bech, a tall man, an ascetic face and a
sharp nose like Greek.

 At first, Rizal was an externo, a Carthaginian occupying the end line but after one month, he
became the emperor, the brightest pupil in the class and was awarded a religious picture as a
prize- the first prize he ever won at the Ateneo

 During noon recesses, he took private lessons in Santa Isabel College to improve his Spanish.
He paid three pesos for extra Spanish lessons.

 During the second term at Ateneo, he only placed second rank because he resented some of
remarks of his professor- although all his grades still marked “ excellent”.

 Rizal returned to Calamba in March 1873 for summer vacation. But he did not enjoy the
vacation because his mother was in prison. Without telling his father, he went to Santa Cruz to
visit his mother in jail and showed his brilliant grades which made his mother very happy.
 At the end of the summer vacation 1873, Rizal returned to Manila to enroll in second year term.
SECOND YEAR TERM (1873 – 1874)
 At the end of the school year, he received excellent grades in all subjects and two gold medal –
one in Topography and another in Agriculture. He was later to qualify as a surveyor and expert
assessor. He returned to Calamba in March 1874 for the summer vacation.

SUMMER VACATION
 Losing no time, he went to Santa Cruz to visit his mother in the provincial jail with news of his
scholastic performance at Ateneo.

 In the course of their conversation, his mother told his son of her dream the previous night.
Rizal interpreted her dream that she would be relieved from prison after three months. Barely
three months, Dona Teodora was released from prison and happily went home to Calamba.
Rizal’s prophecy of his mother became true.

 During the summer vacation, Rizal began to take interest in reading romantic tales, love stories,
love novels, fiction and non-fiction stories. His first favorite novel the Count of Monte Cristo and
a deep impression on him. He also read Travels in the Philippines written by Feodor Jagor.

THIRD YEAR TERM (1874 – 1875)

 At the opening of the school year in June 1874, her mother arrived and joyously told him that
she was released from prison and Rizal’s prediction became true.

 By the end of March 1875, he returned to Calamba for summer

FOURTH YEAR TERM (1876 – 1877)
 He returned to Manila in June 1876 for his fourth- year term.

 He finished his last term in Bachelor of Arts and obtained the highest grades ( excellent – 97 to
100% ) in all subjects – Philosophy, Biology, Chemistry, Languages, Mineralogy, Zoology, etc.

 He graduated as a Valedictorian in a Commencement Day held on March 23, 1877. He was

only nearly 16 years old.