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• BIOGRAPHY WRITINGS, AND LEGACIES OF OUR DATA
• Jose Protasio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda was born on June 19, 1861 in Calamba, Laguna
• Jose Rizal lived and died during the Spanish colonial era in the Philippines
• Jose Rizal


  • Mastered the alphabet and learned to write and read at a young age
  • Showed inclinations to the arts from a young age - pencil drawings, sketches, moldings of clay, painting, sculpture, writing a Tagalog play and a short play in Spanish
• Don Francisco Mercado


  Jose Rizal's father, a productive farmer from Biñan, Laguna, independent-minded, taciturn, but dynamic gentleman
• Doña Teodora Alonso


  Jose Rizal's mother, an educated and highly cultured woman from Sta. Cruz, Manila, diligent business-minded woman, very graceful but courageous, well-mannered, religious, and well-read
• Jose Rizal's siblings


  • Saturnina
  • Paciano
  • Narcisa
  • Olympia
  • Lucia
  • Maria
  • Concepcion
  • Josefa
  • Trinidad
  • Soledad
• Paciano Rizal, Jose's only brother, joined the Katipuneros in Cavite under General Emilio Aguinaldo after Jose's execution, and was commissioned as general of the revolutionary forces and elected as secretary of finance in the Department Government of Central Luzon
• Doña Teodora Alonso's family descended from Lakandula, the last native king of Tondo
• Through the Claveria decree of 1849 which changed the Filipino native surnames, the Alonsos adopted the surname Realonda
• The Rizal family's paternal great-great grandfather, Chinese merchant Domingo Lamco, adopted the name "Mercado", and Jose's father, Francisco, eventually adopted the surname "Rizal" (originally Ricial)
• Paciano suggested that Jose use the surname "Rizal" for his own safety when Paciano had gained notoriety with his links to Father Burgos of the "Gomburza"
• Rizal


  Originally "Ricial" which means "the green of young growth" or "green fields"
• The name "Rizal" was suggested by a provincial governor who was a friend of the family
• Rizal Mercado


  A compromise name used by Don Francisco to avoid confusion in the commercial affairs of the family
• Paciano


  Used "Mercado" as his last name while a student at the College of San Jose, but suggested Jose use the surname "Rizal" for his own safety due to his links to Father Burgos of the "Gomburza"
• Jose Rizal: '"My family never paid much attention [to our second surname Rizal], but now I had to use it, thus giving me the appearance of an illegitimate child!"'
• By 1891, the year Jose finished his El Filibusterismo, the name "Rizal" had become so well known that all his family now carried that name instead of Mercado
• Jose Rizal was born in Calamba, Laguna in 1861
• Calamba


  Derived from kalan-banga, which means "clay stove" (kalan) and "water jar" (banga)
• The first massive stone house (or bahay na bato) in Calamba was the birthplace of Jose Rizal
• Rizal's birthplace


  • Rectangular two-storey building, built of adobe stones and solid wood, with sliding capiz windows
  • Ground floor made of lime and stone, second floor of hard wood except for the red tile roof
  • Had an azotea and a water reservoir at the back
  • Architectural style and proximity to the church implied Rizal family's wealth and political influence
• Phenom


  Someone who is exceptionally talented or admired, especially an up-and-comer
• Rizal's first memory at age 3 was of happy days in the family garden
• Rizal's parents built a nipa cottage for him to play in during the daytime as a child because he was weak, sickly, and undersized
• Rizal recalled the "aya" (nursemaid) relating fabulous stories to the Rizal children, like those about fairies, buried treasure, and trees blooming with diamonds
• At age 3, Rizal started taking part in the family's daily Angelus prayer
• Rizal wept at age 4 when his sister Concha died
• At age 5, Rizal learned to read the Spanish family Bible
• As a child, Rizal loved to go to the chapel, pray, participate in novenas, and join religious processions
• At age 5, Rizal started making pencil sketches and molding clay and wax objects
• At age 6, Rizal's sisters laughed at him for spending time making clay and wax images, but he prophetically told them that people would make monuments and images of him after he died
• At age 7, Rizal's father took him on a pilgrimage to the Shrine of the Virgin of Antipolo
• As a child, Rizal received a pony named "Alipato" as a gift from his father
• Before age 8, Rizal had written a drama that was performed at a local festival and for which he was rewarded with two pesos
• Rizal did not write the poem "Sa Aking Mga Kababata/Kabata" (To My Fellow Children) at age 8 as previously believed
• As a child, Rizal was interested in magic and learned tricks like making a coin disappear and a handkerchief vanish
• Rizal's uncles - Jose Alberto, Manuel, and Gregorio - influenced him in art, physical exercise, and reading respectively
• Rizal's mother Teodora was his first teacher, teaching him Spanish, reading, poetry, and values
• Rizal also received tutoring at home from Maestro Celestino, Maestro Lucas Padua, and Leon Monroy