BIRTH AND EARLY LIFE OF A

HERO
José Protacio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda
 ADVENT OF A NATIONAL HERO
• The Birth of a Hero
• Born on July 19 1861 in Calamba, Laguna
• Named after the Christian Saint Jose (St. Joseph)
• Rizal’s Parents
• Father : Francisco Mercado Rizal (1818 – 1898)
• Studied Latin & Philosophy
• Tenant-farmer of a Dominican owned hacienda
• Mother : Teodora Alonso Reolanda (1826 – 1911)
• Posesing refined culture, literary talent, business talent and fortitude of a
Spartan woman.
 ADVENT OF A NATIONAL HERO
• The Rizal Children
1. Saturnina (1850 – 1913) - “Neneng”
2. Paciano (1851 – 1930) – confidant of rizal; joined the Philippine
revolution after Jose Rizal’s death and became a general
3. Narcisa (1852 – 1939) – “Sisa”
4. Olimpia (1855 – 1887) – “Ypia”
5. Lucia (1857 – 1919)
6. Maria (1859 – 1945) – “Biang”
7. Jose (1861 – 1896)
8. Concepcion (1862 – 1865) – “Concha”; died at the age of 3
9. Josefa (1865 – 1945) – “Panggoy”
10. Trinidad (1868 – 1951) – “Trinding”
11. Soledad (1870 – 1929) – “Choleng”
• Mercado – the real surname of the rizal family
• Middle class family
• Belonging to principalia – a town in aristocracy in Spanish Philippines
CHILDHOOD YEARS IN CALAMBA
• Calamba, the Hero’s town – was an hacienda town which belonged
to the Dominican order.
• Un Recuerdo A Mi Pueblo (In Memory of My Town) – a poem written
for Rizal’s beloved town
• Early Childhood Memories
• Rizal was a frail, sickly, and undersized
1. When he was 3 yrs old, he was playing in the family garden under the watch
of his aya(nurse maid).
2. Daily Angelus prayer
3. The nights when the aya would tell the children fairy tales
4. Nocturnal walks in the town, especially when there was a moon