Chapter 1

Childhood in Calamba

The Philippine Islands

Ruled by Spain, have been described as a missionaries empire The Island is regarded as an integral part of Spain Loyalty in the Philippines was not national it was expressed as loyalty to the Church and its Priests.

For three hundred years of Spanish rule no outside influence penetrated the country.

Calamba, Laguna
Southward from Manila Have a rich agricultural land Produced Sugar and Rice and with rich variety of tropical fruits Calambas landmark is Mount Makiling At the end of the town lies the Laguna de Bay

Francisco Mercado
A prosperous sugar planter and land holder whose house large and strong, with earthquake proof foundations, and built by himself was the best in town. Earliest known ancestor was a Chinese who migrated to the Philippines Francisco Mercado was the first member of the family to settle at

He was quiet, dignified, serious minded, hospitable and much respected. His father and grandfather served the town of Binan as chief town appointed by Spanish auhtorities He was one of those men rare in colonial society who mixed with the Spaniards administrators, friars, and army officers

The Rizal family enjoyed locally a privileged position. Studied at the local Latin school at Binan and going on to the College of San Jose in Manila.

Teodora Alonzo
Was born of a nationally prominent family in Binan His father was a municipal capitan Studied at the Dominican College of Santa Rosa in Manila Spoke excellent Spanish a much fluent speaker of the Spanish language than Rizal

Teodora, slight slender and uprighr, rather Chinese in appearance, always faultessly dressed, moving beautifully and modestly and using the minimum of gesture.

Family
Francisco and Teodora were uncommonly strict parents. Francisco with his extreme dislike of any outward display of emotions, with his manner of weighing his words carefully before he spoke, and if there is nothing to say keeping silent. Telling the truth was a tradition on both sides of the family

Quarreling, noise, gossip and idle chatter were taboo. The slightest display of bad temper will be met with a gentle but pointed reprimand Perfect table manners Anyone seen slouching would be told to pull themselves up, while every skirt, had to come down to the heel and arranged that ankles did not show even when seated

Jose Rizal as a child

Born on 19 June 1861 Have a great love for nature. In the rear compound of his parents house were some fruit trees. These he learned the names of, treating each tree as if it were a personal friend He possesses artistic and a scientific appreciation Everything in the animal and plant world pleased and intrigued him

He developed an interest in Botany and Zoology He was never a child as other children are; he was quiet and thoughtful, always more observer than participant; and as almost as soon as he could use hands to create things. Had he been born in Europe people would have said he was almost certainly destined in the career in arts.

He was a difficult birth and turned out to be pale and sickly child with an undersized body and unusually large head. Have a precocious interest in learning to read and write. He could recite the alphabet at two, learnt from listening to his elder sisters lessons

By age four he can already compose sentences in tagalog and even in spanish. After him came four more daughters. Not till Jose was nine was the Rizal Family complete. As a boy concious of how small and weak he was, he became positively obsessed by the idea of strenght

In the rear of compound of the family house was a small nipa-palm hut which he made his nest. There he read books he could not properly read, and also practiced one of his favorite occupations, clay modelling. His health improved and his strength increased with the help of his uncle

Walking, Riding in horses and Swimming became Joses regular pursuits.

Young Joses Education

He was taught Latin and arithmetic with a private tutor, an old friend of his father. The lessons terminated unexpectedly after five months, on the tutors death. His parents sent him when he was seven in Calamba School; after a few weeks he returned and announced that the teacher taught him all he could.

His mother, often reading to him before he went to bed transmitted to him her own love of Tagalog Poetry. At the age of eight he made the poem Sa aking mga Kabata