Established in Memory · MDCCCXCVI

Dr. José Rizal — The First Filipino seal

Dr. José Rizal

The First Filipino

The Household at Calamba

The Mercado–Rizal Family

Eleven children — two boys and nine girls — raised in one of the most comfortable and most literate houses in Laguna.

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The Parents

Francisco Mercado (1818–1898)

Born in Biñan, Laguna and educated in Latin and philosophy in Manila. He settled in Calamba as a tenant-farmer of the Dominican estate and raised a prosperous, book-owning household. Rizal called him a model of a father.

Teodora Alonso Realonda (1827–1913)

Born in Santa Cruz, Manila and schooled at the Colegio de Santa Rosa. Business-minded, devout, and widely read, she was her son's first teacher — he learned his letters and his prayers on her lap. It was her failing eyesight that turned him toward ophthalmology.

The Eleven Children

  1. 1.Saturnina (1850–1913)The eldest. Married Manuel Timoteo Hidalgo of Tanauan, Batangas.
  2. 2.Paciano (1851–1930)The only brother and lifelong protector — student of San José College, farmer, financier of José's studies abroad, and later a general of the Revolution.
  3. 3.Narcisa (1852–1939)Teacher and musician; married Antonio Lopez of Morong.
  4. 4.Olimpia (1855–1887)Married Silvestre Ubaldo, a telegraph operator in Manila.
  5. 5.Lucía (1857–1919)Married Mariano Herbosa of Calamba.
  6. 6.María (1859–1945)Married Daniel Faustino Cruz of Biñan.
  7. 7.José (1861–1896)The seventh child — physician, novelist, and national hero.
  8. 8.Concepción (1862–1865)Died at three years old; her death drew her brother's first tears.
  9. 9.Josefa (1865–1945)Unmarried; a member of the Katipunan in later years.
  10. 10.Trinidad (1868–1951)Unmarried; to her Rizal entrusted the alcohol lamp on his last night.
  11. 11.Soledad (1870–1929)The youngest; a teacher, married Pantaleon Quintero of Calamba.

Upon the Surname

The family bore the surname Mercado, taken by a Chinese ancestor, Domingo Lam-co, after the decree of Governor-General Narciso Clavería required native families to adopt Spanish surnames. Rizal — from ricial, a green field — was added later. Paciano advised his younger brother to travel and publish under the second name alone, so that the family might not be dragged down with him. The precaution proved wise.

Plates of the Household

Ang tahanan at ang angkan ng mga Mercado-Rizal.