Jose Rizal: A Biographical Sketch

BY TEOFILO H. MONTEMAYOR JOSE RIZAL, the national hero of the Philippines and pride of the Malayan race, was born on June 19, 1861, in the town of Calamba, Laguna. He was the seventh child in a family of 11 children (2 boys and 9 girls). Both his parents were educated and belonged to distinguished families.

His father, Francisco Mercado Rizal, an industrious farmer whom Rizal called "a model of fathers," came from Biñan, Laguna; while his mother, Teodora Alonzo y Quintos, a highly cultured and accomplished woman whom Rizal called "loving and prudent mother," was born in Meisic, Sta. Cruz, Manila. At the age of 3, he learned the alphabet from his mother; at 5, while learning to read and write, he already showed inclinations to be an artist. He astounded his family and relatives by his pencil drawings and sketches and by his moldings of clay. At the age 8, he wrote a Tagalog poem, "Sa Aking Mga Kabata," the theme of which revolves on the love of one’s language. In 1877, at the age of 16, he obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree with an average of "excellent" from the Ateneo Municipal de Manila. In the same year, he enrolled in Philosophy and Letters at the University of Santo Tomas, while at the same time took courses leading to the degree of surveyor and expert assessor at the Ateneo. He finished the latter course on March 21, 1877 and passed the Surveyor’s examination on May 21, 1878; but because of his age, 17, he was not granted license to practice the profession until December 30, 1881. In 1878, he enrolled in medicine at the University of Santo Tomas but had to stop in his studies when he felt that the Filipino students were being discriminated upon by their Dominican tutors. On May 3, 1882, he sailed for Spain where he continued his studies at the Universidad Central de Madrid. On June 21, 1884, at the age of 23, he was conferred the degree of Licentiate in Medicine and on June 19,1885, at the age of 24, he finished his course in Philosophy and Letters with a grade of "excellent." 

Having traveled extensively in Europe, America and Asia, he mastered 22 languages. These include Arabic, Catalan, Chinese, English, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Latin, Malayan, Portuguese, Russian, Sanskrit, Spanish, Tagalog, and other native dialects. A versatile genius, he was an architect, artists, businessman, cartoonist, educator, economist, ethnologist, scientific farmer, historian, inventor, journalist, linguist, musician, mythologist, nationalist, naturalist, novelist, opthalmic surgeon, poet, propagandist, psychologist, scientist, sculptor, sociologist, and theologian.

He was an expert swordsman and a good shot. In the hope of securing political and social reforms for his country and at the same time educate his countrymen, Rizal, the greatest apostle of Filipino nationalism, published, while in Europe, several works with highly nationalistic and revolutionary tendencies. In March 1887, his daring book, NOLI ME TANGERE, a satirical novel exposing the arrogance and despotism of the Spanish clergy, was published in Berlin; in 1890 he reprinted in Paris, Morga’s SUCCESSOS DE LAS ISLAS FILIPINAS with his annotations to prove that the Filipinos had a civilization worthy to be proud of even long before

the Spaniards set foot on Philippine soil; on September 18, 1891, EL FILIBUSTERISMO, his second novel and a sequel to the NOLI and more revolutionary and tragic than the latter, was printed in Ghent. Because of his fearless exposures of the injustices committed by the civil and clerical officials, Rizal provoked the animosity of those in power. This led himself, his relatives and countrymen into trouble with the Spanish officials of the country. As a consequence, he and those who had contacts with him, were shadowed; the authorities were not only finding faults but even fabricating charges to pin him down. Thus, he was imprisoned in Fort Santiago from July 6, 1892 to July 15, 1892 on a charge that anti-friar pamphlets were found in the luggage of his sister Lucia who arrive with him from Hong Kong. While a political exile in Dapitan, he engaged in agriculture, fishing and business; he maintained and operated a hospital; he conducted classes- taught his pupils the English and Spanish languages, the arts.

The sciences, vocational courses including agriculture, surveying, sculpturing, and painting, as well as the art of self defense; he did some researches and collected specimens; he entered into correspondence with renowned men of letters and sciences abroad; and with the help of his pupils, he constructed water dam and a relief map of Mindanao - both considered remarkable engineering feats. His sincerity and friendliness won for him the trust and confidence of even those assigned to guard him; his good manners and warm personality were found irresistible by women of all races with whom he had personal contacts; his intelligence and humility gained for him the respect and admiration of prominent men of other nations; while his undaunted courage and determination to uplift the welfare of his people were feared by his enemies.

When the Philippine Revolution started on August 26, 1896, his enemies lost no time in pressing him down. They were able to enlist witnesses that linked him with the revolt and these were never allowed to be confronted by him. Thus, from November 3, 1986, to the date of his execution, he was again committed to Fort Santiago. In his prison cell, he wrote an untitled poem, now known as "Ultimo Adios" which is considered a masterpiece and a living document expressing not only the hero’s great love of country but also that of all Filipinos. After a mock trial, he was convicted of rebellion, sedition and of forming illegal association. In the cold morning of December 30, 1896, Rizal, a man whose 35 years of life had been packed with varied activities which proved that the Filipino has capacity to equal if not excel even those who treat him as a slave, was shot at Bagumbayan Field. 

The Mercado - Rizal Family

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.

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.

In Calamba, Laguna 19 June 1861

JOSE RIZAL, the seventh child of Francisco Mercado Rizal and Teodora Alonso y Quintos, was born in Calamba, Laguna.

22 June 1861

He was baptized JOSE RIZAL MERCADO at the Catholic of Calamba by the parish priest Rev. Rufino Collantes with Rev. Pedro Casañas as the sponsor.

28 September 1862

The parochial church of Calamba and the canonical books, including the book in which Rizal’s baptismal records were entered, were burned.

1864Barely three years old, Rizal learned the alphabet from his mother.

1865When he was four years old, his sister Conception, the eight child in the Rizal family, died at the age of three. It was on this occasion that Rizal remembered having shed real tears for the first time.

1865 – 1867

During this time his mother taught him how to read and write. His father hired a classmate by the name of Leon Monroy who, for five months until his (Monroy) death, taught Rizal the rudiments of Latin.

At about this time two of his mother’s cousin frequented Calamba. Uncle Manuel Alberto, seeing Rizal frail in body, concerned himself with the physical development of his young nephew and taught the latter love for the open air and developed in him a great admiration for the beauty of nature, while Uncle Gregorio, a scholar, instilled into the mind of the boy love for education. He advised Rizal: "Work hard and perform every task very carefully; learn to be swift as well as thorough; be independent in thinking and make visual pictures of everything."

6 June 1868 

With his father, Rizal made a pilgrimage to Antipolo to fulfill the vow made by his mother to take the child to the Shrine of the Virgin of Antipolo should she and her child survive the ordeal of delivery which nearly caused his mother’s life.

From there they proceeded to Manila and visited his sister Saturnina who was at the time studying in the La Concordia College in Sta. Ana.

1869At the age of eight, Rizal wrote his first poem entitled "Sa Aking Mga Kabata." The poem was written in tagalog and had for its theme "Love of One’s Language."

Early Education in Calamba and Biñan Rizal had his early education in Calamba and Biñan. It was a typical schooling that a son of an ilustrado family received during his time, characterized by the four R’s- reading, writing, arithmetic, and religion. Instruction was rigid and strict. Knowledge was forced into the minds of the pupils by means of the tedious memory method aided by the teacher’s whip. Despite the defects of the Spanish system of elementary education,

Rizal was able to acquire the necessary instruction preparatory for college work in Manila. It may be said that Rizal, who was born a physical weakling, rose to become an intellectual giant not because of, but rather in spite of, the outmoded and backward system of instruction obtaining in the Philippines during the last decades of Spanish regime.

The Hero’s First Teacher

The first teacher of Rizal was his mother, who was a remarkable woman of good character and fine culture. On her lap, he learned at the age of three the alphabet and the prayers. "My mother," wrote Rizal in his student memoirs, "taught me how to read and to say haltingly the humble prayers which I raised fervently to God."

As tutor, Doña Teodora was patient, conscientious, and understanding. It was she who first discovered that her son had a talent for poetry. Accordingly, she encouraged him to write poems. To lighten the monotony of memorizing the ABC’s and to stimulate her son’s imagination, she related many stories.

As Jose grew older, his parents employed private tutors to give him lessons at home. The first was Maestro Celestino and the second, Maestro Lucas Padua. Later, an old man named Leon Monroy, a former classmate of Rizal’s father, became the boy’s tutor. This old teacher lived at the Rizal home and instructed Jose in Spanish and Latin. Unfortunately, he did not lived long. He died five months later.

After a Monroy’s death, the hero’s parents decided to send their gifted son to a private school in Biñan.

Jose Goes to Biñan

One Sunday afternoon in June , 1869, Jose, after kissing the hands of his parents and a tearful parting from his sister, left Calamba for Biñan. He was accompanied by Paciano , who acted as his second father. The two brothers rode in a carromata, reaching their destination after one and one-half hours’ drive. They proceeded to their aunt’s house, where Jose was to lodge. It was almost night when they arrived, and the moon was about to rise.

That same night, Jose, with his cousin named Leandro, went sightseeing in the town. Instead of enjoying the sights, Jose became depressed because of homesickness. "In the moonlight," he recounted, "I remembered my home town, my idolized mother, and my solicitous sisters. Ah, how sweet to me was Calamba, my own town, in spite of the fact that was not as wealthy as Biñan."

First Day in Biñan School

The next morning (Monday) Paciano brought his younger brother to the school of Maestro Justiniano Aquino Cruz.

The school was in the house of the teacher, which was a small nipa hut about 30 meters from the home of Jose’s aunt.

Paciano knew the teacher quite well because he had been a pupil under him before. He introduced Jose to the teacher, after which he departed to return to Calamba.

Immediately, Jose was assigned his seat in the class. The teacher asked him:

"Do you know Spanish?"

"A little, sir," replied the Calamba lad.

"Do you know Latin?"

"A little, sir."

The boys in the class, especially Pedro, the teacher’s son laughed at Jose’s answers.

The teacher sharply stopped all noises and begun the lessons of the day.

Jose described his teacher in Biñan as follows: "He was tall, thin, long-necked, with sharp nose and a body slightly bent forward, and he used to wear a sinamay shirt, woven by the skilled hands of the women of Batangas. He knew by the heart the grammars by Nebrija and Gainza. Add to this severity that in my judgement was exaggerated and you have a picture, perhaps vague, that I have made of him, but I remember only this."

First School BrawlIn the afternoon of his first day in school, when the teacher was having his siesta, Jose met the bully, Pedro. He was angry at this bully for making fun of him during his conversation with the teacher in the morning.

Jose challenged Pedro to a fight. The latter readily accepted, thinking that he could easily beat the Calamba boy who was smaller and younger.

The two boys wrestled furiously in the classroom, much to the glee of their classmates. Jose, having learned the art of wrestling from his athletic Tio Manuel, defeated the bigger boy. For this feat, he became popular among his classmates.

After the class in the afternoon, a classmate named Andres Salandanan challenged him to an arm-wrestling match. They went to a sidewalk of a house and wrestled with their arms. Jose, having the weaker arm, lost and nearly cracked his head on the sidewalk.

In succeeding days he had other fights with the boys of Biñan. He was not quarrelsome by nature, but he never ran away from a fight.

Best Student in School

In academic studies, Jose beat all Biñan boys. He surpassed them all in Spanish, Latin, and other subjects.

Some of his older classmates were jealous of his intellectual superiority. They wickedly squealed to the teacher whenever Jose had a fight outside the school, and even told lies to discredit him before the teacher’s eyes. Consequently the teacher had to punish Jose. 

Early Schooling in Biñan

Jose had a very vivid imagination and a very keen sense of observation. At the age of seven he traveled with his father for the first time to Manila and thence to Antipolo to fulfill the promise of a pilgrimage made by his mother at the time of his birth. They embarked in a casco, a very ponderous vessel commonly used in the Philippines. It was the first trip on the lake that Jose could recollect. As darkness fell he spent the hours by the katig, admiring the grandeur of the water and the stillness of the night, although he was seized with a superstitious fear when he saw a water snake entwine itself around the bamboo beams of the katig. With what joy did he see the sun at the daybreak as its luminous rays shone upon the glistening surface of the wide lake, producing a brilliant effect! With what joy did he talk to his father, for he had not uttered a word during the night!

When they proceeded to Antipolo, he experienced the sweetest emotions upon seeing the gay banks of the Pasig and the towns of Cainta and Taytay. In Antipolo he prayed, kneeling before the image of the Virgin of Peace and Good Voyage, of whom he would later sing in elegant verses. Then he saw Manila, the great metropolis , with its Chinese sores and European bazaars. And visited his elder sister, Saturnina, in Santa Ana, who was a boarding student in the Concordia College.

When he was nine years old, his father sent him to Biñan to continue studying Latin, because his first teacher had died. His brother Paciano took him to Biñan one Sunday, and Jose bade his parents and sisters good-bye with tears in his eyes. Oh, how it saddened him to leave for the first time and live far from his home and his family! But he felt ashamed to cry and had to conceal his tears and sentiments. "O Shame," he explained, "how many beautiful and pathetic scenes the world would witness without thee!"

They arrived at Biñan in the evening. His brother took him to the house of his aunt where he was to stay, and left him after introducing him to the teacher. At night, in company with his aunt’s grandson named Leandro, Jose took a walk around the town in the light of the moon. To him the town looked extensive and rich but sad and ugly.

His teacher in Biñan was a severe disciplinarian. His name was Justiniano Aquino Cruz. "He was a tall man, lean and long-necked, with a sharp nose and a body slightly bent forward. He used to wear a sinamay shirt woven by the deft hands of Batangas women. He knew by memory the grammars of Nebrija and Gainza. To this add a severity which, in my judgement I have made of him, which is all I remember."

The boy Jose distinguished himself in class, and succeeded in surpassing many of his older classmates. Some of these were so wicked that, even without reason, they accused him before the teacher, for which, in spite of his progress, he received many whippings and strokes from the ferule. Rare was the day when he was not stretched on the bench for a whipping or punished with five or six blows on the open palm. Jose’s reaction to all these punishments was one of intense resentment in order to learn and thus carry out his father’s will.

Jose spent his leisure hours with Justiniano’s father-in-law, a master painter. From him he took his first two sons, two nephews, and a grandson. His way life was methodical and well regulated. He heard mass at four if there was one that early, or studied his lesson at that hour and went to mass afterwards. Returning home, he might look in the orchard for a mambolo fruit to eat, then he took his breakfast, consisting generally of a plate of rice and two dried sardines. 

After that he would go to class, from which he was dismissed at ten, then home again. He ate with his aunt and then began at ten, then home again. He ate with his aunt and then began to study. At half past two he returned to class and left at five. He might play for a short time with some cousins before returning home. He studied his lessons, drew for a while, and then prayed and if there was a moon, his friends would invite him to play in the street in company with other boys.

Whenever he remembered his town, he thought with tears in his eyes of his beloved father, his idolized mother, and his solicitous sisters. Ah, how sweet was his town even though not so opulent as Biñan! He grew sad and thoughtful.

While he was studying in Biñan, he returned to his hometown now and then. How long the road seemed to him in going and how short in coming! When from afar he descried the roof of his house, secret joy filled his breast. How he looked for pretexts to remain longer at home! A day more seemed to him a day spent in heaven, and how he wept, though silently and secretly, when he saw the calesa that was flower that him Biñan! Then everything looked sad; a flower that he touched, a stone that attracted his attention he gathered, fearful that he might not see it again upon his return. It was a sad but delicate and quite pain that possessed him. 

El Filibusterismo was Rizal's second novel published in Ghent, Belgium in 1891 with the financial help of Valentin Ventura. It is a sequel to his first novel, Noli Me Tangere.

The main character of El Filibusterismo is Simoun, a rich jeweler from Cuba. He was Crisostomo Ibarra of Noli Me Tangere who, with Elias' help, escaped from the pursuing soldiers at Laguna Lake, dug up his buried treasure, and sailed to Cuba where he became rich and made friends with many Spanish officials. After many years, he returns to the Philippines in disguise. He has become so powerful because he became an adviser of the governor-general. On the outside, Simoun is a friend of Spain. But deep in his heart, he is secretly planning a bitter revenge against the Spanish authorities. His obsessions are 1) to incite a revolution against the Spanish authorities, and 2) to rescue Maria Clara from the Sta.Clara convent.

The novel begins on board the dipper-shaped steamer, Tabo, sailing upstream the Pasig River from Manila to Laguna Lake. Among the passengers are:

Simoun, the rich jeweler;

Do?a Victorina, the ridiculously pro-Spanish native woman who is going to Laguna in search of her henpecked husband, Tiburcio de Espada?a, who left her;

Paulita Gomez, Do?a Victorina's niece;

Ben Zayb, a Spanish journalist who ridicules Filipinos;

Padre Sybila, Vice Rector of the Univeristy of Santo Tomas;

Padre Camorra, the parish priest of Tiani town;

Don Custodio, a pro-Spanish Filipino holding a high government position;

Padre Salvi, a thin Franciscan priest and a former cura of San Diego;

Padre Irene, a kind frier who was a friend of the Filipino students;

Padre Florentino, a retired scholarly and patriotic Filipino priest;

Isagani, lover of Paulita; he is a poet and a nephew of Padre Florentino; and

Basilio, the elder of the two sons of the late Sisa, he is a promising medical student whose medical education is financed by his patron, Capitan Tiago.

Simoun, wealthy and mysterious, is a close friend of the Spanish governor general. He was nicknamed Brown Cardinal and Black Eminence because of his influence in Malaca?ang. By using his political influence and wealth, he encourages corruption in the government ans hastens the moral degradation of the country so that the people may become desperate and fight. He smuggles ammunitions into the country with the help of a rich Chinese merchant, Quiroga, who wants very much to be Chinese consul of Manila. Simoun's initial attempt to start the uprising did not push through because at the lat hour he heard the sad news that Maria Clara died in the convent. In his agonizing moment of bereavement, he did not give the signal for the attack.

After his illness brought about by the death of Maria Clara, Simoun fine-tunes his plan to overthrow the government. On the occasion of the wedding of Paulita Gomez and Juanito Pelaez, he gives a wedding gift to them a beautiful lamp. Only he and his confidential associate, Basilio (Sisa's son who joined the revolutionalry cause), know that when the wick of his lamp burns lower, the nitroglycerine hidden in a secret compartment of the lamp will explode. Thus, all the guests where the wedding feast is being held will be killed, including the governor-general, the friars, ans the government officials. At the same time, Simoun's followers will attack the government buildings in Manila.

As the wedding feast begins, Isagani, who has been rejected by Paulita because of his liberal ideas, is standing outside the house, sadly watching the merriment inside. Basilio chances upon Isagani and, warns him to go away because the lighted lamp will soon explode. Upon learning the secret of the lamp, Isagani realizes that her former girlfriend, Paulita was in grave danger. He rushes into the house to save her life. He steals the lamp and hurls it into the river where it explodes. The revolutionary plot was thus discovered.

Synopsis and Summary of:

"Noli Me Tangere"

Noli Me Tangere (commonly referred to by its shortened name Noli) is a novel written

in Spanish by Filipino writer and national hero José Rizal, first published in 1887 in Berlin,

Germany. The English translation was originally titled The Social Cancer, although more recent

translations have been published using the original Latin title.

The novel Noli Me Tangere contains 63 chapters and epilogue. It begins with a reception

given by Capitan Tiago (Santiago de los Santos) at his house in Calle Analogue (now Juan Luna

Street) on the last day of October. The reception or dinner is given in honor of Crisostomo

Ibarra, a young and rich Filipino who had just returned after seven years of study in Europe.

Ibarra was the only son of Don Rafael Ibarra, friend of Capitan Tiago, and a fiancé of beautiful

Maria Clara, supposed daughter of Capitan Tiago.

Among the guests during the reception were Padre Damaso, a fat Franciscan friar who

had been parish priest for 20 years of San Diego (Calamba), Ibarra’s native town; Padre Sybila, a

young Dominican parish priest of Binondo; Señor Guevara, as elderly and kind lieutenant of the

Guardia Civil; Don Tiburcio de Espadaña, a bogus Spanish physician, lame, and henpecked

husband of Doña Victorina; and several ladies.

Ibarra, upon his arrival, produced a favorable impression among the guests, except Padre

Damaso, who has rude to him. In accordance with a German custom, he introduced himself to

the ladies.

During the dinner the conversation centered on Ibarra’s studies and travels abroad. Padre

Damaso was in bad mood because he got a bony neck and a hard wing of the chicken tinola. He

tried to discredit Ibarra’s remarks.

After dinner, Ibarra left Capitan Tiago’s house to return to his hotel. On the way, the kind

Lieutenant Guevara told him the sad story of his father’s death in San Diego. Don Rafael, his

father, was a rich and brave man. He defended a helpless boy from the brutality of an illiterate

Spanish tax collector, pushing the latter and accidentally killing him. Don Rafael was thrown in

prison, where he died unhappily. He was buried in consecrated ground, but his enemies, accusing

him being a heretic, had his body removed from the cemetery.

On hearing about his father’s sad story, Ibarra thanked the kind Spanish lieutenant and

vowed to find out the truth about his father’s death.

The following morning, he visited Maria Clara, his childhood sweetheart. Maria Clara

teasingly said that he had forgotten her because the girls in Germany were beautiful. Ibarra

replied that he had never forgotten her.

After the romantic reunion with Maria Clara, Ibarra went to San Diego to visit his

father’s grave. It was All Saint’s Day. At the cemetery, the grave digger told Ibarra that the

corpse of Don Rafael was removed by order of the parish priest to be, buried in the Chinese

cemetery; but the corpse was heavy and it was a dark and rainy night so that he (the grave-

digger) simply threw the corpse into the lake.

Ibarra was angered by the grave-digger’s story. He left the cemetery. On the way, he met

Padre Salvi, Franciscan parish priest of San Diego. In a flash, Ibarra pounced on the priest,

demanding redress for desecrating his father’s mortal remains. Padre told him that he had

nothing to do with it, for he was not the parish priest at the time of Don Rafael’s death. It was

Padre Damaso, his predecessor, who was responsible for it. Convinced for Padre Salvi’s

innocence, Ibarra went away.

In his town Ibarra met several interesting people, such as the wise old man, Tasio the

philosopher, whose ideas were too advanced for his times so that the people, who could not

understand him, called him “Tasio the Lunatic;” the progressive school teacher, who complained

to Ibarra that the children were losing interest to their studies because of the lack proper school

house and the discouraging attitude of the parish friar towards both the teaching of Spanish and

of the use of modern methods of pedagogy; the spineless gobernadorcillo, who catered to the

wishes of the Spanish parish friars; Don Filipo Lino, the teniente-mayor and leader of the

cuardrilleros (town police); and the former gobernadorcillos who were prominent citizens Don

Basilio and Don Valentin.

A most tragic story in the novel is the tale of Sisa, who was formerly a rich girl but

became poor because she married a gambler, and a wastrel at that. She became crazy because she

lost her two boys, Basilio and Crispin, the joy of her wretched life. These boys were sacristanes

(sextons) in the church, working for a small wage to support their poor mother. Crispin the

younger of the two brothers was accused by the brutal sacristan mayor (chief sexton) of stealing

the money of the priest. He was tortured in the convent and died. Basilio, with his brother’s

dying cries ringing in his ears, escaped. When the two boys did not return home, Sisa looked for

them everywhere and, in her great sorrow, she became insane.

Capitan Tiago, Maria Clara, and Aunt Isabel (Capitan Tiago’s cousin who took care of

Maria Clara, after his mother’s death) arrived in San Diego. Ibarra and his friends give picnic at

the lake. Among those present in this picnic, were Maria Clara and her four girl friends the merry

Siñang, the grave Victoria, the beautiful Iday, and the thoughtful Neneng; Aunt Isabel, chaperon

of Maria Clara; Capitana Tika, mother of Siñang; Andeng, foster sister of Maria Clara; Albino,

the ex-theological student who was in love with Siñang; and Ibarra and his friends. One of the

boatmen was a strong and silent peasant youth named Elias.

An incident of the picnic was the saving of Elias’ life by Ibarra. Elias bravely grappled

with a crocodile which was caught in the fish corral. But the crocodile struggled furiously so that

Elias could not subdue it. Ibarra jumped into the water and killed the crocodile, thereby saving

Elias. After the crocodile incident, was the rendering of a beautiful song by Maria Clara who had

a sweet voice and they went ashore. They made merry in the cool, wooded meadow. Padre Salvi,

Capitan Basilio (former gobernadorcillo and Siñang’s father) the alferez (lieutenant of the

Guardia Civil) and the town officials were present. The luncheon was served, and everybody

enjoyed eating.

The meal over, Ibarra and Capitan Basilio played chess, while Maria Clara and her

friends played the “Wheel of Chance”, a game based on a fortune-telling book. As the girls were

enjoying their fortune-telling game, Padre Salvi came and tore to pieces the book, saying that it

was a sin to play such game. Shortly thereafter, a sergent and four soldiers of the Guardia Civil

suddenly arrived, looking for Elias, who was hunted for assaulting Padre Damaso and throwing

the alferez into a mud hole. Fortunately Elias had disappeared, and the Guardia Civil went away

empty-handed. During the picnic also, Ibarra received a telegram from the Spanish authorities

notifying him the approval of his donation of a schoolhouse for the children of San Diego.

The next day Ibarra visited old Tasio to consult him on his pet project about the

schoolhouse. He saw the old man’s writings were written in hieroglyphics. Tasio explained to

him that he wrote in hieroglyphics because he was writing for the future generations who would

understand them and say, “Not all were asleep in the night of our ancestors!”

Meanwhile San Diego was merrily preparing for its annual fiesta, in honor of its patron

saint San Diego de Alcala, whose feast day is the 11th of November. On the eve of the fiesta,

hundreds of visitors arrived from the nearby towns, and there were laughter, music, exploding

bombs, feasting and moro-moro. The music was furnished by five brass bands (including the

famous Pagsanjan Band owned by the escribano Miguel Guevara) and three orchestras.

In the morning of the fiesta there was a high mass in the church, officiated by Padre

Salvi. Padre Damaso gave the long sermon, in which he expatiated on the evils of the times that

were caused by certain men, who having tasted some education spread pernicious ideas among

the people.

After Padre Damaso’s sermon, the mass was continued by Padre Salve. Elias quietly

moved to Ibarra, who was kneeling and praying by Maria Clara’s side, and warned him to be

careful during the ceremony of the laying of the cornerstone of the schoolhouse because there

was a plot to kill him.

Elias suspected that the yellowish man, who built the derrick, was a paid stooge of

Ibarra’s enemies. True to his suspicion, later in the day, when Ibarra, in the presence of a big

crowd, went down into the trench to cement the cornerstone, the derrick collapsed. Elias, quick

as a flash, pushed him aside, thereby saving his life. The yellowish man was the one crushed to

death by the shattered derrick.

At the sumptuous dinner that night under a decorated kiosk, a sad incident occurred. The

arrogant Padre Damaso, speaking in the presence of many guests, insulted the memory of

Ibarra’s father. Ibarra jumped to his seat, knocked down the fat friar with his fist, and then seized

a sharp knife. He would have killed the friar, were it not for the timely intervention of Maria

Clara.

The fiesta over, Maria Clara became ill. She was treated by the quack Spanish physician,

Tiburcio de Espadaña, whose wife, a vain and vulgar native woman, was a frequent visitor in

Capitan Tiago’s house. This woman had hallucinations of being a superior Castillan, and,

although a native herself, she looked down on her own people as inferior beings. She added

another “de” to her husband’s surname in order to more Spanish. Thus she wanted to be called

“Doctora Doña Victorina de los Reyes de De Espadaña.” She introduced to Capitan Tiago’s

young Spaniards, Don Alfonso Linares de Espadaña, cousin of Don Tiburcio de Espadaña and

godson of Padre Damaso’s brother in law. Linares was a penniless and jobless, fortune hunter

who came to the Philippines in search of a rich Filipino heiress. Both Doña Victorina and Padre

Damaso sponsored his wooing of Maria Clara, but the latter did not respond because she loved

Ibarra.

The story of Elias like that of Sisa, was a tale of pathos and tragedy. He related it to

Ibarra. Some 60 years ago, his grandfather, who was then a young bookkeeper in a Spanish

commercial firm in Manila, was wrongly accused of burning the firm’s warehouse. He was

flogged in public and was left in the street, crippled and almost died. His was pregnant, beg for

alms and became a prostitute in order to support her sick husband and their son. After giving

birth to her second son and the death of her husband, she fled, with her to sons to the mountains.

Years later the first boy became a dreaded tulisan named Balat. He terrorized the

provinces. One day he was caught by the authorities. His head was cut off and was hung from a

tree branch in the forest. On seeing this gory object, the poor mother (Elias’ grandmother) died.

Balat’s younger brother, who was by nature kindhearted, fled and became a trusted

laborer in the house of rich man in Tayabas. He fell in love with the master’s daughter. The girl’s

father, enraged by the romance, investigated his past and found out the truth. The unfortunate

lover (Elias’ father) was sent to jail, while the girl gave birth to twins, a boy (Elias) and a girl.

Their rich grandfather took care of them, keeping secret their scandalous origin, and reared them

as rich children. Elias was educated in the JesuitCollege in Manila, while his sister studied in La

Concordia College. They lived happily, until one day, owing to certain dispute over money

matters, a distant relative exposed their shameful birth. They were disgraced. An old male

servant, whom they used to abuse, was forced to testify in court and the truth came out that he

was their real father.

>

Elias and his sister left Tayabas to hide their shame in another place. One day the sister

disappeared. Elias roamed from place to place, looking for her. He heard later that a girl

answering to his sister’s description, was found died on the beach of San Diego. Since then, Elias

lived a vagabond life, wandering from province to province – until he met Ibarra.

Elias, learning of Ibarra’s arrest, burned all the papers that might incriminate his friend

and set Ibarra’s house on fire. Then he went to prison and helped Ibarra escape. He and Ibarra

jumped into a banca loaded with sacate (grass). Ibarra stopped at the house of Capitan Tiago to

say goodbye to Maria Clara. In the tearful last scene between the two lovers, Ibarra forgave

Maria Clara for giving up his letter to her to the Spanish authorities who utilized them as

evidence against him. On her part, Maria Clara revealed that those letters were exchanged with a

letter from her late mother, Pia Alba which Padre Salvi gave her. From his letter, she learned that

her real father was Padre Damaso.

After bidding Maria Clara farewell, Ibarra returned to the banca. He and Elias paddled up

the PasigRiver toward Laguna de Bay. A police boat, with the Guardia Civil on board, pursued

them as their banca reached the lake. Elias told Ibarra to hide under the zacate. As the police boat

was overtaking the banca, Elias jumped into the water and swam swiftly toward the shore. In this

way, he diverted the attention of the soldiers on his person, thereby giving Ibarra a chance to

escape. The soldier fired at the swimming Elias, who was hit and sank. The water turned red

because of his blood. The soldiers, thinking that they had killed the fleeing Ibarra returned to

Manila. Thus Ibarra was able to escape.

>

Elias seriously wounded, reached the shore and staggered into the forest. He met a boy,

Basilio, who was weeping over his mother’s dead body. He told Basilio to make a pyre on which

their bodies (his and Sisa) were to be burned to ashes. It was Christmas eve, and the moon

gleamed softly in the sky. Basilio prepared the funeral pyre. As life’s breath slowly left his body.

Elias looked toward the east and murmured: “I die without seeing the dawn brighten over my

native land.” You, who have it to see, welcome it! And forget not those who have fallen during

the night.

The novel has an epilogue which recounts what happened to the other characters. Maria Clara,

out of her loyalty to the memory of Ibarra, the man she truly loved, entered the Santa Clara

nunnery. Padre Salvi left the parish of San Diego and became a chaplain of the nunnery. Padre

Damaso was transferred to a remote province, but the next morning he was found dead in his

bedroom. Capitan Tiago the former genial host and generous patron of the church became an

opium addict and a human wreck. Doña Victorina, still henpecking poor Don Tiburcio, had taken

to wearing eye-glasses because of weakening eyesight. Linares, who failed to win Maria Clara’s

affection, died of dysentery and was buried in Paco cemetery.

SUMMARY:

Having completed his studies in Europe, young Juan Crisóstomo Ibarra y Magsalin came

back to the Philippines after a 7-year absence. In his honor, Don Santiago de los Santos, a family

friend also known as Kapitan Tiyago, threw a get-together party, which was attended by friars

and other prominent figures. One of the guests, former San Diego curate Father Dámaso belittled

and slandered Ibarra. Ibarra brushed off the insults and took no offense; he instead politely

excused himself and left the party because of an allegedly important task.

The next day, Ibarra visits María Clara, his betrothed, the beautiful daughter of Kaptain

Tiyago and affluent resident of Binondo, Manila. Their long-standing love was clearly

manifested in this meeting, and María Clara cannot help but reread the letters her sweetheart had

written her before he went to Europe. Before Ibarra left for San Diego, Lieutenant Guevara, a

guardia civil, reveals to him the incidents preceding the death of his father, Don Rafael Ibarra, a

rich hacendero of the town.

According to Guevara, Don Rafael was unjustly accused of being a heretic, in addition to

being a filibuster — an allegation brought forth by Father Dámaso because of Don Rafael's non-

participation in the Sacraments, such as Confession and Mass. Father Dámaso's animosity

against Ibarra's father is aggravated by another incident when Don Rafael helped out on a fight

between a tax collector and a child fighting, and the former's death was blamed on him, although

it was not deliberate. Suddenly, all of those who thought ill of him surfaced with additional

complaints. He was imprisoned, and just when the matter was almost settled, he got sick and

died in jail. Still not content with what he had done, Dámaso arranged for Don Rafael's corpse to

be dug up from the Catholic church and brought to a Chinese cemetery, because he thought it

inappropriate to allow a heretic a Catholic burial ground. Unfortunately, it was raining and

because of the bothersome weight of the cadaver, the undertakers decided to throw the corpse

into a nearby lake.

Revenge was not in Ibarra's plans; instead he carried through his father's plan of putting

up a school, since he believed that education would pave the way to his country's progress (all

over the novel the author refers to both Spain and the Philippines as two different countries,

which form part of a same nation or family, being Spain the mother and the Philippines the

daughter). During the inauguration of the school, Ibarra would have been killed in a sabotage had

Elías — a mysterious man who had warned Ibarra earlier of a plot to assassinate him — not

saved him. Instead the hired killer met an unfortunate incident and died. The sequence of events

proved to be too traumatic for María Clara who got seriously ill but was luckily cured by the

medicine Ibarra sent.

After the inauguration, Ibarra hosted a luncheon during which Father Dámaso, gate-

crashing the luncheon, again insulted him. Ibarra ignored the priest's insolence, but when the

latter slandered the memory of his dead father, he was no longer able to restrain himself and

lunged at Dámaso, prepared to stab him for his impudence. As a consequence, Dámaso

excommunicated Ibarra, taking this opportunity to persuade the already-hesitant father of María

Clara to forbid his daughter from marrying Ibarra. The friar wished María Clara to marry a

Peninsular named Linares who had just arrived from Spain.

With the help of the Captain-General, Ibarra's excommunication was nullified and the

Archbishop decided to accept him as a member of the Church once again. But, as fate would

have it, some incident of which Ibarra had known nothing about was blamed on him, and he is

wrongly arrested and imprisoned. The accusation against him was then overruled because during

the litigation that followed, nobody could testify that he was indeed involved. Unfortunately, his

letter to María Clara somehow got into the hands of the jury and is manipulated such that it then

became evidence against him.

Meanwhile, in Kapitan Tiyago's residence, a party was being held to announce the

upcoming wedding of María Clara and Linares. Ibarra, with the help of Elías, took this

opportunity to escape from prison. Before leaving, Ibarra spoke to María Clara and accused her

of betraying him, thinking that she gave the letter he wrote her to the jury. María Clara explained

that she would never conspire against him, but that she was forced to surrender Ibarra's letter in

exchange for the letters written by her mother even before she, María Clara, was born. The

letters were from her mother, Pía Alba, to Dámaso alluding to their unborn child; and that María

Clara was therefore not Captain Tiago's biological daughter, but Dámaso's.

Afterwards, Ibarra and Elías boarded a boat and fled the place. Elías instructed Ibarra to

lie down and the former covered the latter with grass to conceal his presence. As luck would

have it, they were spotted by their enemies. Elías, thinking he could outsmart them, jumped into

the water. The guards rained shots on him, all the while not knowing that they were aiming at the

wrong man.

María Clara, thinking that Ibarra had been killed in the shooting incident, was greatly

overcome with grief. Robbed of hope and severely disillusioned, she asked Father Dámaso to

confine her into a nunnery. Dámaso reluctantly agreed when she threatened to take her own life,

demanding, "the nunnery or death!" Unbeknownst to her, Ibarra was still alive and able to

escape. It was Elías who had taken the shots.