Historical Background OF R Izals Family PDF

Preview

Summary

Rizal's Family, Childhood and Early Education...

Description

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF RIZAL’S FAMILY

Jose Rizal Family The Jose Rizal family was a wealthy family in Calamba, Laguna and considered one of the largest families in those times. The 13 member of Jose Rizal family consisted of his father Francisco Mercado II and his mother Teodora Alonso Realonda. Jose Rizal had nine sisters and one brother. The Jose Rizal family’s paternal ascendant was Domingo Lam-co, a full-blooded Chinese who lived inAmoy,China and arrived in the Philippines in the closing years of the 17th century. Domingo Lam-co was married to a Chinese half-breed named Ines de la Rosa. The Mercado-Rizal family had also Japanese, Spanish, Malay and Negrito blood aside from their Chinese blood. Jose Rizal’s father was the youngest of 13 children of Juan and Cirila Mercado. He was born in Binan, Laguna, studied in San Jose College of Manila and died in Manila. The mother of Jose Rizal was a business -minded, religious and hard working individual who was born in Santa Cruz,Manila on November 14, 1827 and died in Manila in 1913. She studied at the Colegio de Santa Rosa and was the second child of Brijida de Quintos and Lorenzo Alonso. Saturnina Rizal was the eldest of the offsprings of Francisco Mercado and Teodora Alonso Realonda. She married Manuel Hidalgo who hailed from Tanauan, Batangas. The only brother of Jose Rizal was Paciano Rizal and was the second child. Paciano studied at the San Jose College in Manila and worked as a farmer and later as a general of the Philippine Revolution. The other sisters of Jose Rizal were Narcisa,Olympia, Lucia, Maria, Concepcion, Josefa, Trinidad and Soledad. Soledad was the youngest child and later was married to Pantaleon Quintero. The parents of Jose Rizal were both farmers who were granted by the Dominicans with the lease of a hacienda together with a rice farm. The mother of Jose Rizal, Teodora, had Spanish and Japanese ancestors while the father of Teodora was a half Spaniard engineer known as Lorenzo Alberto Alonzo. The Rizal surname was obtained by Francisco Mercado as suggested to him by a provincial governor after the Governor General of the Philippines, Narciso Claveria, issued a decree in 1849 by which native Filipino and immigrant families were to adopt Spanish surnames from a list of Spanish family names. Jose Rizal also obtained the surname Rizal after dropping three other names that made up his full name. Jose Rizal also retained Protacio as his other family name. His family never actually recognized his Rizal surname but Jose Rizal was forced to use it so that he can travel freely and disassociate him from his brother who was known to be notorious due to Paciano’s links with native priests who were executed after they were found to be subversives.

The Rizals is considered one of the biggest families during their time. Domingo Lam-co, the family's paternal ascendant was a full-blooded Chinese who came to the Philippines from Amoy, China in the closing years of the 17th century and married a Chinese half-breed by the name of Ines de la Rosa. Researchers revealed that the Mercado-Rizal family had also traces of Japanese, Spanish, Malay and Even Negrito blood aside from Chinese. Jose Rizal came from a 13-member family consisting of his parents, Francisco Mercado II and Teodora Alonso Realonda, and nine sisters and one brother. The Mercado - Rizal Family FRANCISCO MERCADO (1818-1898) Father of Jose Rizal who was the youngest of 13 offsprings of Juan and Cirila Mercado. Born in Biñan, Laguna on April 18, 1818; studied in San Jose College, Manila; and died in Manila. TEODORA ALONSO (1827-1913) Mother of Jose Rizal who was the second child of Lorenzo Alonso and Brijida de Quintos. She studied at the Colegio de Santa Rosa. She was a business-minded woman, courteous, religious, hard-working and well-read. She was born in Santa Cruz, Manila on November 14, 1827 and died in 1913 in Manila. SATURNINA RIZAL (1850-1913) Eldest child of the Rizal-Alonzo marriage. Married Manuel Timoteo Hidalgo of Tanauan, Batangas. PACIANO RIZAL (1851-1930) 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. NARCISA RIZAL (1852-1939) The third child. married Antonio Lopez at Morong, Rizal; a teacher and musician. OLYMPIA RIZAL (1855-1887) The fourth child. Married Silvestre Ubaldo; died in 1887 from childbirth. LUCIA RIZAL (1857-1919) The fifth child. Married Matriano Herbosa. MARIA RIZAL (1859-1945) The sixth child. Married Daniel Faustino Cruz of Biñan, Laguna. JOSE RIZAL (1861-1896) The second son and the seventh child. He was executed by the Spaniards on December 30,1896.

CONCEPCION RIZAL (1862-1865) The eight child. Died at the age of three. JOSEFA RIZAL (1865-1945) The ninth child. An epileptic, died a spinster. TRINIDAD RIZAL (1868-1951) The tenth child. Died a spinster and the last of the family to die. SOLEDAD RIZAL (1870-1929) The youngest child married Pantaleon Quintero. Paternal Ancestors Domingo Lam-Co, the family root, arrived from Amoy, China in 1660s and changed his name to Mercado in 1697. He married late in life. Francisco Mercado y Chinco, the first son of Domingo Lam-co. Juan Mercado y Monica, youngest son of Francisco Mercado y Chinco, a captain in the Spanish army Petrona, Potenciana and Francisco Mercado, Sr., children of Juan Mercado. The youngest Francisco Mercado, Sr. was the father of Jose Rizal, Francisco Mercado (Junior). Influential Relatives Jose’s relatives who influenced him greatly mostly consisted of his mother’s brothers: Tio Jose, Tio Manuel, and Tio Gregorio. Tio Jose - He is the youngest among the siblings of Teodora, and was schooled in Calcutta, India. He was Jose Rizal’s inspiration as he sketches and paints. Tio Jose encouraged him to engage in sculpturing. Tio Manuel - Known to be big and strong, he influenced Jose to visit the outdoors, do long walks with his pet black dog, Usman, and even go horseback riding with his horse, castaño. Tio Gregorio - Through his Tio Gregorio, Jose learned the value of hard work, careful observation of life, as well as independent thinking. Through him, Jose likewise became interested in the printed page.

CHILDHOOD DAYS IN CALAMBA Jose Rizal, just like Filipino boys, had many beautiful memories of childhood. • He have a happy home, filled with parental affection, impregnated with family joys, and sanctified by prayers. • In the midst of such peaceful, refined, God-loving family, he spent the early years of his childhood.  Calamba, the Hero’s Town • Calamba was an hacienda town which belonged to the Dominican Order. • It is a picturesque town nestling on a verdant plain covered with irrigated rice fields and sugar-lands. • A few kilometers to the south looms is the legendary Mount Makiling in somnolent grandeur.  Beyond this mountain is the province of Batangas. • East of the town is the Laguna de Bay. • In the middle lake towers is the storied island of Talim and beyond it towards north is the distant Antipolo, famous mountain shrine of the miraculous Lady of Peace and Good Voyage.  •In 1876 when he was 15 years old and was a student in the Ateneo de Manila he remembered his beloved town. •He wrote a poem Un Recuerdo A Mi Pueblo (In Memory of My Town). EarliEst Childhood mEmoriEs. • The first memory of Rizal, in his infancy, was his happy days in the family garden. • Because he was frail, sickly, and undersized child, he was given the most tender care by his parents. • His father built a nipa cottage in the garden for him to play in the daytime. • Another childhood memory was the daily Angelus prayer. • By nightfall, Rizal related, his mother gathered all the children at the house to pray the Angelus. • With nostalgic feeling, he also remembered the happy moonlit nights at the azotea after the rosary. • The aya related stories to Rizal children many stories about fairies; tales of buried treasure and trees with blooming diamonds, and other fabulous stories. • Sometimes, when he did not like to take his supper, the aya would treaten him that the aswang, the nuno, the tigbalang, or a terrible bearded Bombay would come to take him away if he would not eat his supper. • Another memory of his infancy was the nocturnal walk in the town, especially when there was a moon. • Recounting this childhood experience, Rizal wrote: “Thus my heart fed on sombre and melancholy thoughts so that even still a child, I already wandered on wings of fantasy in the high regions of the unknown. The Hero’s First Sorrow • The Rizal children were bound together by the ties of love and companionship. • Their parents taught them to love one another, to behave properly in front of elders, to be truthful and religious, and to help one another. • They affectionately called their father Tatay, and mother Nanay. • Jose was jokingly called Ute by his brother and sisters. The people in Calamba knew him as Pepe or Pepito. • Of his sisters, Jose loved most little Concha (Concepcion). • He was one year older than Concha. • He played with her, and from her, he learned the sweetness of brotherly love. • Unfortunately, Concha died of sickness in 1865 when he was 3 years old. • Jose, who was very fond of her, cried bitterly to lose her. Devoted Son of Church •Young Rizal was a religious boy. •A scion of a Catholic clan, born and bred in a wholesome atmosphere of Catholicism, and possessed of an inborn spirit, Rizal grew up a good Catholic. •At the age of 3, he began to take part in the family prayers. •When he was five years old, he was able to read haltingly the family bible. •He loved to go to church to pray, to take part in novenas, and to join the religious processions.

•It is said that he was so seriously devout that he was laughingly called Manong Jose by the Hermanos and Hermanas Terceras. •One of the men he esteemed and respected in Calamba during his boyhood was the scholarly Father Leoncio Lopez, the town priest. Father Leoncio Lopez Pilgrimage to Antipolo•On June 6, 1868, Jose and his father left for Calamba to go on a pilgrimage to Antipolo, in order to fulfill his mother’s vow which was made when Rizal was born. •It was the first trip of Jose across Laguna de Bay and his pilgrimage to Antipolo • He was thrilled, as a typical boy should, by his first lake voyage. • He did not sleep the whole night as the casco sailed towards the Pasig River because he was awed by “ the magnificence of the watery expanse and the silence of the night. • After praying at the shrine of the Virgin of Antipolo, Jose and his father went to Manila. First Education from Mother • Jose’s first teacher was his mother. • At the age of 3, Jose learned the alphabet and prayers from her. • Seeing Rizal had a talent for poetry, she encouraged him to write poems. She gave her all her love and all that she learned in college. The Story of the Moth • Of the story told by Dona Teodora to Jose, it was that of the young moth made the profoundest impression on him. • The tragic fate of the young moth, which died a martyr to its illusions, left a deep impress on Rizal’s mind. Rizal’s Three Uncles • There were 3 uncles, brothers of his mother, who played a great part in the early education of Rizal. • Uncle Gregorio was a lover of books. • He instilled into the mind of his nephew a great love for books. • He taught him to work hard, to think for himself, and to observe life keenly. • Uncle Jose, who had been educated at Calcutta, India, was the youngest brother of Dona Teodora. • He encouraged his nephew to paint, sketch, and sculpture. • Uncle Manuel was a big, strong, and husky man. • He looked after the physical training of his sickly and weak nephew. • He encourage Rizal to learn swimming, fencing, wrestling, and other sports, so that in later years Rizal’s frail body acquired agility, endurance, and strength. Artistic Talents • Since early childhood Rizal revealed his god-given talents for the arts . • He drew sketches and pictures on his books of his sisters, for which reason he was scolded by his mother. • He carved figures of animals and persons out of wood. • Even before he learned to read, he could already sketch pictures of birds, flowers, fruits, rivers, mountains, animals and persons. • Jose had a soul of a genuine artist. • Rather an introvert child, with a skinny physique and sad dark eyes, he found great joy looking at the blooming flowers, the ripening fruits, the dancing waves of the lake, and the milky clouds in the sky; and the listening to the songs of the birds, the chirpings of the cicadas, and the murmurings of the breezes. • He loved to ride on a spirited pony ( which his father bought for him) or take long walks in the meadows for him) or take long walks in the meadows and lakeshore with his big black dog named Usman. • In his room, he kept many statuettes which he made out of clay and wax. • At one time, his sisters teased him: “Ute, what are you doing with so many statuettes?” He replied: “ Don’t you know that people will erect monument and statues in my honor for the future?” Prodigy of the Pen• Not only was little Jose skilled in brush, chisel, and pen-knife, but also in pen. • He was born poet. • His mother encouraged him to write poetry.

• At an early age when children usually begin to learn ABC, he was already writing poems. • The first known poem that he wrote was a Tagalog poem entitled Sa Aking Mga Kababata (To My Fellow Children). • Before he was eight years old, he wrote a Tagalog drama. • This drama was stages in Calamba in connection with the town fiesta. Lakeshore Reveries • During the twilight hours of summertime, Rizal, accompanied by his dog, used to meditate at the shore of Laguna de Bay on the sad conditions of his oppressed people. • Young that he was, he grieved deeply over the unhappy situation of his beloved fatherland. • The Spanish misdeeds awakened in his boyish heart a great determination to fight tyranny. Influences on Hero’s Boyhood • In the lives of all men there are influences which cause some to be great and others not. In the case of Rizal, he had all favorable influences, which no other child in our country enjoyed. Hereditary Influence • According to biological science there are inherent qualities which a person inherits from ancestors and parents. •From Malayan ancestors, Rizal evidently, inherited his love for freedom, his innate desire to travel and his indomitable courage. •From Chinese ancestors he derived his serious nature, frugality, patience and love for children. • From Spanish ancestors he got his elegance of bearing, sensitivity to insult and gallantry to ladies. • From his father he inherited a profound sense of self-respect, the love for work and the habit of independent thinking. • And from his mother his religious nature, the spirit of selfsacrifice and the passion for arts and literature EnvironmEntal influEncE • According to psychologist, environment as well as heredity affects the nature of a person. • It includes places, associates and events. • The beautiful scenic of Calamba and the beautiful garden of the Rizal family stimulated the inborn artistic and literary talents of Jose Rizal. • The religious atmosphere at his home fortified his religious nature. • His brother Paciano instilled in his mind the love for freedom and justice. • From sisters he learned to be courteous and kind to women. • The fairy tales told by his aya awakened his interest in folklore and legends. Father Leoncio Lopez a parish priest in Calamba fostered Rizal’s love for scholarship and intellectual honesty. • The sorrows in his family such as death of Concha in 1865 and the imprisonment of his mother in 187-74 contributed to strengthen his character, enabling him to resist blows adversity in later years. The Spanish abuses and cruelties which he witnessed in his boyhood such as brutal acts if the lieutenant of the Guardia Civil and the alcalde, the unjust tortures inflicted on innocent Filipinos and the execution of Fathers Gomez, Burgos and Zamora in 1872 awakened his spirit of patriotism and inspired him to consecrate his life and talents to redeem his oppressed people. Aid of Divine Providence • Greater than heredity and environment in the fate of man is the aid of Divine Providence. • A person may have everything in life brains, wealth, and power but without the aid of Divine Providence ne cannot attain greatness in the annals of the nation. • Rizal was providentially destined to be the pride and glory of his nation. • God had endowed him with the versatile gifts of a genius, the vibrant spirit of a nationalist and the valiant heart to sacrifice for a noble cause.

RIZAL YEARS IN ATENEO The Jesuits were considered the best educators of Spain, and perhaps of Europe, and so, when they were permitted to return to the Philippines, although their power to administer parishes was restricted except in the remote regions of Mindanao, the privilege of founding colleges, they had to apply to the City of Manila for subsidies. That is why the college which began to function in the year 1865, was called the Ateneo Municipal. To enter the Ateneo a candidate was subjected to an entrance examination on Christian doctrine, reading, writing, grammar, and elementary arithmetic. Jose did not take his entrance examinations Jose did not remain in Manila but returned first to his town to celebrate the fiesta of its patron saint; it was then that his father changed his mind and decided to send him to the Ateneo instead. Since Mercado, the first surname of the family, had come under suspicion of the authorities because it was the name used by Paciano when he was studying and working with Father Burgos, in whose house he lived, Jose adopted the second surname, Rizal. Paciano who accompanied Jose, found him a house in Walled City, but Intramuros looked gloomy to Jose, and he later found lodging outside, in the house of a spinster situated on Calle Carballo, district of Santa Cruz. As if chance would furnish him data for his future campaigns, he became acquainted in that house with various mestizos, begotten by friars. The Jesuitical system of instruction was considered more advanced than that of other colleges in that epoch. Its discipline was rigid and its methods less mechanical. It introduced physical culture as part of its program as well as the cultivation of the arts, such as music, drawing, and painting. It also establishes vocational courses in agriculture, commerce, and mechanics as a religious institute, its principal purpose was to mold the character and the will of the boys to comply more easily with the percepts of the Church. The students heard mass before the beginning of the class, which was opened and closed with prayers. In the first two terms the classes were divided into groups of interns and externs: the first constituted the Roman Empire and the second, the Carthaginian Empire. In each empire there were five dignitaries: Emperor, Tribune, Decurion, Centurion, and Standard-Bearer. These dignities were won by means of individual competitions in which it was necessary to catch one’s adversary in error three times. The empires considered themselves in perpetual warfare, and when an individual of one empire was caught in error by one belonging to the enemy empire, a point was counted in favor of the latter. At the end of each week or two, the points in favor of each were added and the empire, which obtained more point, was declared winner. There was a fraternity of Mary and Saint Louis Gonzaga, to which only those who distinguished themselves in the class for their piety and diligence could belong. This fraternity met on Sundays and after mass held public programs in which poems were recited or debates were held. With all these inducements it was only natural that should be a spirit of emulation, a striving to surpass ones colleagues found in the Ateneo.

The first professor Jose had was Fr. Jose Bech, whom he describes as a man of high stature; lean body, bent forward; quick gait; ascetic physiognomy, severe and inspired; small, sunken eyes; sharp Grecian nose; thin lips forming an arch with its sides directed toward the chin." He was somewhat of a lunatic and of an uneven humor; sometimes he was hard and little tolerant and at other times he was gay and playful as a child. Among Jose’s classmates ...