REMINISCENCES OF

CALAMBA
The Rizal Shrine

Produced by
Assoc. Prof. Ramon M. Roda
College of Commerce
University of Santo Tomas
This CD power point presentation on Rizal is a complimentary copy and not intended
for sale. No part of this CD may be reproduced in part or in full without permission
of the author.
Explanatory notes
Some of the text and captions used in the photos were culled from brochures,
pamphlets produced by the National Historical Institute and travelogues on Rizal.This
instructional material is intended for classroom viewing only to enable our students enrolled in
RIZAL COURSE to visualize as well as to have an inside glimpse of the Rizal Shrine in
Calamba.

I wish to extend my heartfelt gratitude and deep appreciation to Mrs. Emelita V.

Almosara, Chief, MHD, National Historical Institute, for granting my request to take pictures
of the Rizal Shrine-Fort Santiago and the Rizal Shrine-Calamba on May 1-3,1991.
Maraming salamat din po kay Mrs. Anne Marie Moreno, Curator, RSFS and Mrs. Emma
Mula, Curator,RSC for their kind assistance in making the Rizal project possible.

Assoc. Prof. Ramon M. Roda

College of Commerce
University of Santo Tomas
RIZALS SHRINE IN CALAMBA
CALAMBA SHRINE
MARKER
THE CALAMBA JAR
A huge clay pot
created on top of a
cave-like structure
in front of the
church serves as an
attractive landmark
in the Rizal shrine in
Calamba.
 LEGEND OF CALAMBA

The Calamba Jar: Legend has it that the town got its name
from a pair of Spanish soldiers who had stopped to ask two
vendors one carrying a jar of water on her head and the other,
some native potterywhat it was called. KALAN-BANGA
answered the two almost simultaneously. Ah KALANBANGA
replied the soldiers in return. Since then, the town has been
called Calamba.

The Calamba of old was a town of green and gentle hills

cradled between Laguna de Bay and Mt. Makiling.
THE CALAMBA JAR
To immortalize the
towns legend, a big jar
was constructed in 1935
with the names of each
barangays inscribed on it.
This is a replica. Rizal
constructed a similar jar
during his time as a
project.
RIZAL CALAMBA SHRINE
Painstakingly
reconstructed, the grand
House in the Filipino-colonial
style, is just a stones throw
from the town plaza of
Calamba. More than a
century ago on the very
same spot, in a house that
looked exactly like this one,
our national hero was born
on June 19, 1861.
RECONSTRUCTED HOUSE IN CALAMBA

Reconstructed house in Calamba, the

birthplace of Rizal is now a National
Shrine and a chief tourist attraction.
The grand house which stands
impressively with its Spanish colonial
features near the town plaza has a
ground floor made of stone, an upper
story of hardwood, and a roof of red
tiles. It stands facing Calle Real, the
main street within sight of the church
and the plaza.
CLOSE UP SHOT OF RIZALS HOUSE

The house of massive sliding

capiz-shell windows, thick walls
of lime, and floors made entirely
of wood, bore witness to the
birth of Jose Rizal, the seventh
of eleventh children of Francisco
Mercado and Teodora Alonso.
Today, the house is gone, but in
its place is a replica so exact that
Rizal himself would feel right at
home.
PARTS OF THE HOUSE
ENTRANCE
CAIDA OR BANQUET HALL

The Rizal family played

hosts to dinners and parties
for important personages and
friends. The young Rizal was
often witness to those
elaborate dinners. His first
novel Noli Me Tangere
opens with a scene
reminiscent of such evening.
SALA
An ornate doorway connects
the caida to the sala, the
latter graced by rattan-
backed and marble-topped
tables. The sala is shown as
it was then, with polished
floors and sparingly
decorated paneled walls as
well as the furniture at that
time.
GIRLS ROOM
Aside from the usual bedroom
furnishings, a sewing machine
stands out in the middle of the
room which has been recreated as
closely as possible to the original.
Joses sisters stayed here. The
shady capiz-shell windows shield
the hot sun and prevent sunlight
from penetrating the interior of the
room.
Globes

Globes were appliances of

crystal in which were placed
the vessels containing oil for
lighting. They are hung from
the ceiling with iron chains.
A replica of the Oil lamp

A typical oil lamp used in Rizals

time. The mother began to
read to her son, Jose, the
fable of the Young and Old
Moths using a similar lamp.
She translated the story to
him piece by piece into
Tagalog.
The tragic fate of the young
moth left a deep impression
on Rizals mind.
REPLICA OF SOME FURNITURE IN THE
CALAMBA SHRINE

The furniture consisting of

chairs and tables made of
rattan and caned narra
was built to resemble the
originals as closely as
possible. Some original
pieces donated by Dona
Trining to the govt. are
displayed at the Rizal
shrine in Fort Santiago.
Replica of some furniture

On a study table in this part of

the house, the boy Rizal sat
with his mother one evening
for his lessons.
Here, in the flickering light of
the gas lamp, Rizals mother,
Dona Teodora, taught the
young Rizal the caton and
read to him the story of the
Moth and the Lamp
ENTRANCE DOOR TO
RIZALS BEDROOM
This is the masters
bedroom where Rizal was
born. On the left portion of
the entrance is the framed
photo of Rizal while the
upper side of the door is a
bronze marker indicating
that he was born here.
 MASTER BEDROOM
WHERE RIZAL WAS BORN
On the well-worn rattan and carved
wood double bed, Dona Teodora
gave birth to Jose on June 19,1861
around midnight. There is a reclining
chair, an almario, a marble top
circular coffee table, and a cabinet.
His mother nurtured him on the
same four posted rattan bed until he
could be carried about in the
house.
DINING HALL
Next to the sala is the family
dining hall where the
Mercados sat for meals
cooled by a manually
operated fan hanging
from the ceiling. Here at
meals called punctually,
anyone who was late
would be admonished.
ANOTHER VIEW OF THE
DINING HALL
Punkah, a big fan made of wood
and heavy cloth with cords, perhaps
driven by one of the Mercados
servants during meal time to cool the
guests and members of the Rizal
family, as well as to shoo the flies
away from the table. This was
imported from India during the British
occupation of Manila in 1762-1764.
THE AZOTEA OR
BALCONY
The azotea is a common feature in
colonial homes located either in front or the
rear. It is an area that opens to the sky. It is
the busiest area of the house and serves
as a dirty kitchen a laundry and roof
garden and where messy household
chores are done. Water was gathered from
the roof by means of gutter and collected in
the aljibe,or cistern beneath the azotea
from where it was drawn through the well.
Aljibe

The aljibe: or cistern beneath

the azotea from where
water was drawn from the well
THE KITCHEN
On display in the kitchen are
numerous local kitchen utensils,
metal and wooden wares, clay
jars and a stoneware,
ingeniously designed as a
reservoir to filter water, making it
potable and at the same time
cooling it. Dona Teodora must
have spent a great deal of time
in this part of the house.
Paminggalan

Jars, pots and stoves are made from

white clay while the cement like tops of
the wooden stoves are made of paste
composed of shifted ashes and water.
Cooked food and left-overs are stored
in the paminggalan. Note the
banguerra, the Phil. dish rack,
attached to the window, is strategically
located to avail of sunlight for drying
plates and glasses.
BACK VIEW OF RIZALS
SHRINE
Behind the house are
the poultry yard and a
big garden of tropical
fruit treessantol,
mabolo, balimbing,
duhat, star apples,
lanzones, macopa etc.
BAHAY KUBO

It was a common practice in any affluent

families to build a toy house for their
children to have a place to stay and Don
Francisco made one for his children.
Many imaginative games were played
here and the young Jose carved out toys
made of wood and molded clay. Among
all the children, it was Jose who spent
the most time in the Nipa hut. The Bahay
Kubo has been reconstructed as it must
have looked then.
THE KUBO AND FAMILY ORCHARD

The Rizal family had a large

garden and orchard which Rizal
wrote fondly in his diary The
delicious atis displayed its
delicate fruits and lowered its
branches the sweet santol,
the scented and mellow tampoy,
the pink makopa, the delicious
papaya, the nanca, the coffee
and orange tree perfumed the
air with the aroma of their
flowers .
RIZALS BAPTISM
 SAN JUAN BAUTISTA
CHURCH
Across from the shrine is the
town church, an imposing stone
edifice built in 1739. The San
Juan Bautista church is where Fr.
Rufino Collantes baptized Rizal
on June 22, 1861 or three days
after his birth. His godfather was
Fr. Pedro Casanas.
INSIDE VIEW OF THE CHURCH
 BAPTISMAL FONT
(Pabinyagan)
Although the church has
been rebuilt twice, one part
of the original structure has
been preservedthe
baptismal font or
pabingyaganwhere
Rizal was christened on
June 22, 1861. A small
flight of stone steps lead
into it.
BRASS PLATE INDICATING RIZALS BAPTISM

Brass plate indicates Rizals baptism

at the entrance, a brass plate
carries the following inscription:
Si Jose Rizal ay bininyagan ni P.
Rufino Collantes sa pabinyagang
ito ng simbahan ng Calamba,
noong ika 22 ng Hunyo ng 1861
at naging inaama sa binyag si P.
Pedro Casaas.

The fact that a priest stood as sponsor

at Rizals baptism shows how
pious a woman was Rizals mother.
 The Mercado children
God blessed the marriage of Francisco Mercado Rizal and Teodora
Alonso Realonda with eleven childrentwo boys and nine girls.
They are:
1. Saturnina- (1850-1913) nicknamed Neneng - married Manuel T. Hidalgo
2. Paciano (1851-1930)- he died an old bachelor.
3. Narcisa (182-1939) nicknamed Sisa - married Antonino Lopez
4. Olimpia (1855-1887) nicknamed Ypia married Silvestre Ubaldo
5. Lucia (1857-1919)-married Mariano Herbosa
6. Maria (1859-1945) nicknamed Biang - married Daniel Faustino
7. Jose (1861-1896)- nicknamed moi or moy - married Josephine Bracken
8. Concepcion (1862-1865) nicknamed Concha - she died at the age of three.
9. Josefa (1865-1945) nicknamed Panggoy - she died an old maid.
10. Trinidad (1868-1951) nicknamed Trining - she died an old maid.
11. Soledad (1870-1929) nicknamed Choleng - married Pantaleon Quintero