Personal Information
Full Name: José Protacio Rizal Mercado y Alonzo Realonda
Sex: Male
Place of Birth: Calamba, Laguna
Date of Birth: 19 June 1861
Permanent Address: Calle Real, Calamba, Laguna
Mother’s Maiden Name: Teodora Alonzo y Quintos
Father’s Name: Francisco Mercado Rizal
Nationality: Filipino
Religion: Roman Catholic
Skills
Actor – Acted as a character in one of Juan Luna’s Paintings and Acted in school Dramas.
Agriculturist – he had farms in Dapitan, Zamboanga del Norte (1892-1896) where he planted lanzones, coconuts and other fruit-bearing trees.
Anthropologist – He made researches on the physical and social make up of man.
Botanist - Rizal maintained a garden in Dapitan where he planted and experimented on plants of all kinds.
Teacher – Rizal taught in his special school at dapitan. His exile in Dapitan gave him the opportunity to put into practice his educational ideas. In 1893, he established a school which existed until the end of his exile in July 1896. It began with three pupils and in the course of time the enrollment increased to 16 and later 21. In his letter to Blumentritt on March 13, Rizal said that he had 16 pupils in his school and these pupils did not pay any tuition.
Ethnologist – By traveling, Rizal was able to compare different races.
He became a member of Berlin Ethnological and Anthropological Society while under the patronage of the famous pathologist Rudolf Virchow.
Businessman – Started a Hemp (Abaca) Business with a partner in Dapitan. (1892-1896) Rizal engaged in business in partnership with Ramon Carreon on May 14, 1893, a Dapitan Merchant which has a profitable business ventures in fishing, copra, and hemp industries. He invited his relative Saturnina and Hidalgo to come to Mindanao for some business opportunities.
Cartographer – Rizal drew maps of different places in Dapitan.
Chess Enthusiast – Rizal played chess with his several German and other European acquaintances.
Fencing