2. FAMILY
• Jose Rizal was born to a wealthy family in Calamba,
Laguna. He was the 7th among th 11 children of Francisco
Mercado Rizal and Teodora Alonzo Realonda. Panciano,
the second to the eldest child in the family, was the only
brother of Jose. His other siblings were Saturnina ,
Narcisa , Olimpia, Lucia, Maria , Conception , Josefa ,
Trinidad and Soledad. Jose had a Chinese ancestors from
his father’s side, Dominggi Lam-Co who married a
Chinese mestiza, Ines de la Rosa. Aside from his Chinese
ancestey , he also had a Japanese, Spanish, and Malay
blood.
3. EDUCATION
• By three years old, Jose was already able to recite the
alphabet because of his mother’s guidance. In his
journals, he wrote “My mother taught me how to read
and and to say haltingly the humble prayers which I
raised fervently to God”. Aside from his mother, Jose had
a private tutor. Leon Monroy who taught him the
rudiments of Latin. Aside from Monroy, Jose was also
taught by his Uncle Manuel Alberto and Uncle Gregorio.
4. EDUCATION
• Jose had his early education in Calamba and
Bifian. His education was focused on reading,
writing , arithmetic and religion . Instruction was
imposed very rigidly and strictly. Teachers made
use of whips to force knowledge into the minds of
the students.
5. EDUCATION
• Jose’s first teacher in Bifian was Meastro Justiniano
Aquino Cruz who he described as tall, thin, long-necked,
sharp-nosed, and with a body slightly bent forward. In
Bifian, Jose regularly attended mass, went to the
orchard , went to class at 10:00 am. and ate lunch ,
arrived home at 5:00 pm. and consistently studied and
drew. He also prayed daily before going to bed.
6. EDUCATION
• In terms of academics, Jose was the most outstanding
among all his classmates. He surpassed them all in
Spanish , Latin and other subjects. This made his older
classmates jealous of him. Although he was not
quarrelsome, Jose never ever backed out from a fight.
7. RIZAL’S INFLUENCES
• Jose Rizal grew up surrounded by influences that have
contributed to the development of his nationalist
sensibilities . From his father, Francisco, Rizal learned
the value, self-respect , love for work and independent
thinking. His greatest influence was his mother, Teodora.
His love for freedom and justice was inculcated in him by
Paciano while his sisters taught him to be respectful and
kind to women.
8. RIZAL’S INFLUENCES
• He got his love for books and his being hardworking for
his Uncle Gregorio. His Uncle Jose encouraged him to
develop his skills in painting, sketching and sculpting.
• An equally important influence on the character of Rizal
was the environment he grew up in. As mentioned he
spend his childhood in Calamba , in a family that
nurtured his mind and soul. The Rizal family had a
beautiful garden which help Rizal appreciate nature.
These things stimulated the young hero‘s innate artistic
and literary talents.
