Rizal’s life: Family, Childhood

and Early Education (1861-

1877)
This is an exact narration from the main
reference of the subject, GEC 9: LIFE,
WORKS AND WRITINGS OF RIZAL
Learning Modules of Isabela State
University.
 
Gregorio Zaide a Filipino historian:
“Jose Rizal had many beautiful memories of
childhood in his native town. He grew up in a happy
home, ruled by good parents. His natal town of
Calamba, so named after a big native jar, was a
fitting cradle for a hero. The happiest period of
Rizal’s life was spent in this lakeshore town, its
scenic beauties and its industrious, hospitable and
friendly folks impressed him during his childhood
years and profoundly affected his mind and
character. He had his early education in Calamba
and Biñan.
 During his time it was characterized by the four R’s-
reading, writing, arithmetic and religion. It was rigid and
Gregorio Zaide strict, the manner of teaching was memory method aided
by the teacher’s whip. He continued his education at the
Ateneo de Manila where he earned scholastic triumphs. It
was a college under the supervision of the Spanish Jesuits
an excellent college for boys. It may be said that Rizal
who was born a physical weakling, rose to become an
intellectual giant and was able to acquire the necessary
instruction preparatory for college work in Manila and
abroad in spite of the outmoded and backward system of
instruction of the Spanish regime in the Philippines.
 BIRTH OF RIZAL
On the moonlit night of June 19, 1861, in
the lakeshore town of Calamba, Laguna,
Jose Protacio Rizal Mercado y Alonso
was born. In his autobiography, which
he wrote when he was 17 years old,
Rizal recounted that his mother almost
died during the delivery because of his
big head.” It would have cost my mother
her life had she not vowed to the virgin of
Antipolo to take me her sanctuary by
way of pilgrimage.”
Three days after his birth, Rizal was baptized
in the Catholic church of Calamba on June
22, 1861 by Fr. Rufino Collantes, a Filipino
priest from Batangas. His godfather was
Pedro Casañas, a native of Calamba and
friend of Rizal’ family. He was named Jose
in honor of St. Joseph, the patron saint of
laborers and soldiers. He was given a second
first name, Protasio, after a 4th century saint
who was a bishop of Milan.
The Rizal Parents His father, Francisco Mercado Rizal (1818-
1898), an industrious farmer whom Rizal
called “a model of fathers,” came from
Biñan, Laguna. He studied Latin and
Philosophy at the College of San Jose in
Manila. In early manhood, following his
parent’s death, he moved to Calamba and
became a tenant farmer of the Dominican-
owned hacienda. He was a hardy and
independent-minded man, who talked less
and worked more, and was strong in body
and valiant in spirit.
The Rizal Parents Her mother, Teodora Alonzo Quintos y Realonda
(1826-1911), was born in Sta. Cruz, Manila. She was
educated at the College of Santa Rosa, a well-known
college for girls in the city. She was a remarkable
woman, possessing intelligence, refined culture,
literary talent, business ability and fortitude. Rizal
loving said to her: “My mother is a woman of more
than ordinary culture; she knows literature and
speaks Spanish better than I. She corrected my
poems and gave me good advice when I was
studying rhetoric. She is a mathematician and has
read many books.
THE RIZAL CHILDREN

1. Saturnina Rizal, 63 (1850-1913) “The Second

Mother”
Born as Saturnina Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda
or simply Saturnina Hidalgo. She was the eldest
sister of Jose Rizal. She was married to Manuel T.
Hidalgo, a native and one of the richest persons in
Tanauan, Batangas. She was known as Neneng. She
died in September 14, 1913.
THE RIZAL CHILDREN

2. Paciano Rizal, 79 (1851-1930) “The Big

Brother”
Only brother of Jose Rizal and the second child.
Studied at San Jose College in Manila; became a
farmer and later a general of the Philippine
Revolution. He devotedly took care of Jose Rizal. As
Nick Joaquin said, “Without Paciano to back him up,
it’s doubtful that Rizal would have gotten as far as he
reached.”
THE RIZAL CHILDREN

3. Narcisa Rizal, 87 (1852-1939) “The Hospitable

Sister”
The third child, her pet name was Sisa and she married
Antonio Lopez (nephew of Father Leoncio Lopez) at
Morong, Rizal; a teacher and musician. Like Saturnina,
Narcisa helped in financing Rizal’s studies in Europe,
even pawning her jewelry and peddling her clothes if
needed. It is said that Doña Narcissa could recite from
memory almost all the poems of Rizal. Narcisa was
perhaps the most hospitable among the siblings.
THE RIZAL CHILDREN
4. Olimpia Rizal, 32 (1855-1887) “The Go-Between”
The fourth child. Married Silvestre Ubaldo, a telegraph
operator from Manila. Olimpia died in August 1887 at
age 32 due to childbirth. Jose loved to tease her,
sometimes good-humoredly describing her as his stout
sister. Jose’s first love, Segunda Katigbak, was Olimpia’s
schoolmate at the La Concordia College. Rizal confided
to Olimpia about Segunda and the sister willingly served
as the mediator between the two teenage lovers.
THE RIZAL CHILDREN

5. Lucia Rizal, 62 (185-1919) “A Fellow-Sufferer”

The fifth child. Married Mariano Herbosa. Charged of inciting
the Calamba townsfolk not to pay land rent and causing unrest,
the couple was once ordered to be deported along with some
Rizal family members. Mariano died during the cholera epidemic
in May 1889. He was refused a Catholic burial for not going to
confession since his marriage to Lucia. In Jose’s article in La
Solidaridad entitled Una profanacion (‘A Profanation’), he
scornfully attacked the friars for declining to bury in ‘sacred
ground’ a ‘good Christian’ simply because he was the “brother-
in-law of Rizal”.
THE RIZAL CHILDREN

6. Maria Rizal, 86 (1859-1945) “The Confidant”

The sixth child. Married Daniel Faustino Cruz of Biñan
Laguna.
Jose confided to Maria about his plans of marrying Josephine
Bracken when most of the Rizal family was not open to the
idea. He had also brought up to Maria his plans of
establishing a Filipino colony in North British Borneo. Jose
and Maria often wrote to each other particularly when Jose
was studying abroad.
THE RIZAL CHILDREN

7. Jose Rizal, 35 (1861-1896)

The second son and the seventh child. The greatest
Filipino hero and peerless genius. He was born on June
19, 1861. His nickname was Pepe. During his exile in
Dapitan he lived with Josephine Bracken, Irish girl from
Hong Kong. He was executed by the Spaniards on
December 30, 1896.
 THE RIZAL CHILDREN

8. Concepcion Rizal, 3 (1862-1865) “A Dear Loss”

The eighth child. Died at the age of three. She is fondly called ‘Concha’
by her siblings. Jose loved most ‘Concha’ who was a year younger than
him. Jose played games and shared children stories with her. She was
Jose’s first grief as he mournfully wept when she died of sickness in
1865. In Rizal’s memoir he wrote, “When I was four years old, I lost my
little sister Concha, and then for the first time I shed tears caused by love
and grief.”
THE RIZAL CHILDREN

9. Josefa Rizal, 80 (1865-1945) “The Katipunera”

The ninth child. An epileptic, died a spinster. She is
nicknamed as “Panggoy”. After Jose was executed, Josefa
joined the Katipunan. She was one of the original 29
women admitted to the Katipunan along with Gregoria de
Jesus, wife of Andres Bonifacio. They secured the secret
papers and documents of the society. The danced and sang
during meetings to confuse civil guards that the meetings
were just harmless social gatherings.
THE RIZAL CHILDREN

10. Trinidad Rizal, 83 (1868-1951) “The Steward”

The tenth child. Died a spinster and the last of the family to die.
“Trining” along with their mother, joined Jose in Dapitan and
resided with him in his square house during his exile. A day before
Jose’s execution, Trining and their mother visited him at Fort
Santiago prison cell. As they were leaving, Jose handed over to
Trining an alcohol cooking stove, a gift from Pardo de Taveras,
whispering to her in a language which the guards could not
understand, “There is something in it.” That ‘something’ was Rizal’s
elegy now known as “Mi Ultimo Adios.” Like Josefa and two
nieces, Trinidad joined the Katipunan after Rizal’s death.
THE RIZAL CHILDREN
11. Soledad Rizal, 59 (1870-1929) “The Teacher”
The youngest child; married Pantaleon Quintero. She was a teacher
and was probably the best educated among Jose’s sisters, which
made Jose very proud of her. However, Jose reprimanded her for
getting married to Pantaleon Quintero of Calamba without their
parent’s consent. Jose was very much against women who allow
themselves to be courted outside their homes. He said to Choleng,
“If you have a sweetheart, behave towards him nobly and with
dignity, instead of resorting to secret meetings and conversations
which do nothing but lower woman’s worth in the eyes of man. You
should value more, esteem more your honor and you will be more
esteemed and valued.”
FAMILY TREE OF JOSE RIZAL (Ancestry of José Rizal)
 THE RIZAL HOME

The house of the Rizal family,where he was born, was one of the distinguished
stone houses in Calamba during the Spanish times. It was a two-storey
building,rectangular in shape, built of adobe stones and hard-woods and roofed
with red tiles. Behind the house were the poultry yard full of turkeys and chickens
and a big garden of tropical fruit trees- atis, balimbing,chico, macopa, papaya,
santol,etc.