RIZAL’S LIFE:
FAMILY,
CHILDHOOD
AND EARLY
EDUCATION
Learning Objectives:
In this lesson, learners will know about Jose Rizal
life such as his family, his childhood, and his early
education.
THE RIZAL’S
FAMILY
Rizal’s Parents
FRANCISCO ENGRACIO RIZAL MERCADO y
ALEJANDRO (1818-1898)
Don Francisco Mercado was born on May 11, 1818 and was
the youngest of his 13 siblings. Mercado was a well-respected
man in their home town of Calamba in which citizens made him as
their "cabeza de barangay" (head of town.) He was of part
Chinese descent, having been related to a Chinese entrepreneur by
the name of Domingo Lamco. Mercado die shortly after Rizal in
the home of his daughter, Narcisa Rizal in Binondo, Manila on
January 5, 1898.
Rizal’s Parents
TEODORA ALONSO REALONDA y QUINTOS (1827-
1913)
Doña Teodora Alonso was born on November 14, 1827 in Santa
Cruz Manila.Her parents were Lorenzo Alonso, a municipal captain
and Brijida de Quintos, an educated housewife and had four other
siblings. It is said that her great grandfather,Eugenio Ursua was of
Japanese ancestry making her of Japanese descent. She was known to
be a hardworking, intelligent, business minded woman. She died in
1913 in Manila.
Surname Realonda and Rizal
Both their families had adopted the additional surnames of Rizal and Realonda in
1849, after Governor General Narciso Clavería y Zaldúa decreed the adoption of
Spanish surnames among the Filipinos for census purposes (though they already
had Spanish names).
The surname Realonda that used by Doña Teodora as her added surname was
originated from her godmother.
From Lamco to Rizal
Jose Rizal’s great-great grandfather, Chinese merchant Domingo Lamco, adopted
the name ‘Mercado’ which means ‘market’. But Jose’s father, Francisco, who
eventually became primarily a farmer, adopted the surname ‘Rizal’ (originally
‘Ricial’, which means ‘the green of young growth’ or ‘green fields’).
Rizal’s Siblings
SATURNINA RIZAL (1850-1913)
Saturnina Mercado Rizal Hidalgo also known as “Neneng” was born in June
4,1850 and was the eldest sister of Jose Rizal. She had five children together with
husband Manuel T. Hidalgo and died the same year as her mother in September 14,
1913.
PACIANO RIZAL (1851-1930)
General Paciano Mercado Rizal also known as "Lolo Ciano" was the only
brother of Jose Rizal. He was born in March 9, 1851 and studied in Biñan later
attending school at the Colegio de San Jose in Manila. After the execution of his
brother, he joined in the Philippine Revolution where he rose up to the ranks of a
General. He later married Severina Decena of Los Banos and had two children of
which one died at an early age. Paciano passed away in April 13, 1930.
Rizal’s Siblings
NARCISA RIZAL (1852-1939)
Narcisa Rizal Lopez was born in October 29,1852.She was a teacher and a
musician by profession.She is the one who found the unmarkedgrave of her
brother, Jose in the abandoned Old Paco Cemetery. Narcisa married Antonio
Lopez who was a teacher and musician from Morong, Rizal. She died in 1939.
OLYMPIA RIZAL (1855-1887)
Olympia Rizal Ubaldo was born in 1855. She married Silvestre Ubaldo and
together they had three children. She died in 1887 from child birth when she was
only 32 years old.
Rizal’s Siblings
MARIA RIZAL (1859-1945)
Maria Cruz Rizal was born in 1859. She married Daniel Faustino Cruz
of Biñan, Laguna and they had 5 children. Mauricio Cruz, one of Maria's
children became a student of Jose Rizal in Dapitan and was known to be one
of his uncle's favorites. Maria was a known recipient of many od Jose's
letters during his lifetime. Maria died in 1945.
It was to her whom Jose talked about wanting to marry Josephine
Bracken when the majority of the Rizal family was apparently not amenable
to the idea. In his letter dated December 12, 1891, Jose had also brought up
to Maria his plan of establishing a Filipino colony in North British Borneo.
Rizal’s Siblings
CONCEPCION RIZAL (1862-1865)
Concepcion Rizal or ‘Concha’ was born in 1862. Concepcion did not live very long as she died at
the age of 3 in 1865 due to sickness.
Rizal’s Siblings
JOSEFA RIZAL (1865-1945)
Josefa Rizal was born in 1865. She was unmarried lived together with
sister Trinidad until death. Josefa was said to have suffered from epilepsy.
She breaks both stereotypes of woman and handicap, and joined the
Katipunan.She was elected as the president of the Katipunan's Women's
Chapter, where she took on the appellation “Sumikat.” Josefa died in 1945.
Rizal’s Siblings
TRINIDAD RIZAL (1868-1951)
Trinidad Rizal was born in June 6,1868. She remained unmarried and lived
together with her sister Josefa. Trinidad was the one who received an alcohol lamp
from brother Jose,in which he secretly hid the "Last Farewell" better known as
"Mi Ultimo Adios," a poem Rizal wrote on the eve of his death in 1951.
Trinidad helped found “Primera Luz Filipina” the first masonic lodge for
women in the Philippines. A member of Walana, a Filipino masonry society,
formed in Manila on July 18, 1893, closely allied with the masonic temples of the
illustrados.
In 1905, she co-founded the first Filipina feminist organization, the
Asociacion Feminista Filipina (AFF), along with Concepcion Felix, Librada
Avelino, Maria Paz Guanzon, and Luisa de Silyar. Trinidad died in 1951, out
living all her siblings.
Rizal’s Siblings
SOLEDAD RIZAL (1870-1929)
Soledad Rizal Quintero also known as ‘Choleng’ was born in 1870
making her the youngest of the Rizal siblings. Being a teacher, she was
arguably the best educated among Rizal’s sisters.
In Jose long and meaty letter to Choleng dated June 6, 1890, he told
her sister that he was proud of her for becoming a teacher. She married
Pantaleon Quintero and together they had 5 children. Soledad died in
1929.
RIZAL’S
CHILDHOOD
AND EARLY
EDUCATION
19 June 1861
JOSE RIZAL or also known as “Pepe”, is the seventh child of Francisco Mercado Rizal
and Teodora Alonso y Quintos, was born in Calamba, Laguna.
22 June 1861
He was baptized as JOSE RIZAL MERCADO at the Catholic of Calamba by the parish
priest Rev. Rufino Collantes with Rev. Pedro Casañas as the sponsor.
28 September 1862
The parochial church of Calamba and the canonical books, including the book in which
Rizal’s baptismal records were entered, were burned.
1864
Rizal learned the alphabet and Catholic prayers at the age of three with his first teacher,
Doña Teodora or also known as “Lolay” in Rizal’s family.
1865
When he was four years old, his sister Conception, the eight child in the Rizal family, died at the
age of three. It was on this occasion that Rizal remembered having shed real tears for the first time.
1865 – 1867
During this time his mother taught him how to read and write. He had learned to read and write at
age 5. His father hired a classmate by the name of Leon Monroy who, for five months until his
(Monroy) death, taught Rizal the rudiments of Latin.
At about this time two of his mother’s cousin frequented in Calamba. Uncle Manuel Alberto,
seeing Rizal frail in body, concerned himself with the physical development of his young nephew and
taught the latter love for the open air and developed in him a great admiration for the beauty of nature,
while Uncle Gregorio, a scholar, instilled into the mind of the boy love for education. He advised
Rizal: "Work hard and perform every task very carefully; learn to be swift as well as thorough; be
independent in thinking and make visual pictures of everything."
6 June 1868
With his father, Rizal made a pilgrimage to Antipolo to fulfill the vow made by his mother to take
the child to the Shrine of the Virgin of Antipolo should she and her child survive the ordeal of delivery
which nearly caused his mother’s life.
From there they proceeded to Manila and visited his sister Saturnina who was at the time studying
in the La Concordia College in Sta. Ana.
1869
Jose Rizal was sent to a private school in Binan.His brother Paciano brought him to the school of
Maestro Justiniano Aquino Cruz. The school was in the teacher’s house, a small nipa house near the
home of Jose’s aunt where he stayed.
At the age of eight, Rizal wrote his first poem entitled "Sa Aking Mga Kabata." The poem was
written in tagalog and had for its theme "Love of One’s Language."
OTHER FACTS ABOUT DR.
JOSE RIZAL’S EARLY
EDUCATION AND
CHILDHOOD
• Aside from his mother, Jose eldest sister, Saturnina teached him in reading and writing.
• Jose Rizal also learned values from His mother, Teodora Alonzo as explained specifically in The Story of the
Moth.
• Private tutors were also hired to give Rizal lessons at home in Calamba, to further enhance what he had
learned. Maestro Celestino tutored him and Maestro Lucas Padua later succeeded Celestino.
• During Rizal’s first day in Biñan school, the teacher asked him:
“Do you know Spanish?”
”A little, sir,” replied Rizal.
”Do you know Latin?”
”A little, sir.”
Because of this, his classmates, especially the teacher’s son Pedro, laughed at the newcomer. So later in that day,
Jose challenged the bully Pedro to a fight. Having learned wrestling from his Uncle Manuel, the younger and
smaller Jose had defeated his tormenter.
• Rizal had an arm-wrestling match with his classmate Andres Salandanan after the class. In that
match however, Jose lost and even almost cracked his head on the sidewalk.
• Jose told his father that he had already learned all there was to be taught at Biñan. Don Francisco
firmly scolded him and hustled him back to the school. Maestro Cruz, Jose’s teacher in Biñan, later
confirmed, however that, Jose had indeed finished already all the needed curricular works.
• There was a also a time when Rizal was able to draw a bird flying nearby without lifting the pencil
he was using from the paper till the picture he drew was finished. He can also draw a running horse
and a chasing dog. Clay and wax were the favorite play materials of Rizal. He used these materials
in forming modeled birds and butterflies. This animal molding activity also started his study of
nature.
• Jose Rizal also owned a pony and used it to have long rides into the surrounding country which was
rich in scenery. He also took long walks together with his big black dog named Usman. He also
loved to play with the doves in his neighborhood. He learned about the myths and legends in
Laguna after sleeping through the nut in a little straw hut used by Laguna farmers during the
harvest season. Rizal was also good in hand tricks which he perfected to amaze the simple folk and
performed magic lantern exhibitions.
Thank you!
