Prepared by:

Cabataña, Rieza

Mariel

Ateneo

Municipal

A college under the

supervision of the Spanish

Jesuits

Bitter rival of the

Dominican-owned College

of San Juan de Letran

Escuela Pia

(Charity

School)

A school for poor boys in Manila

Established by the city government in 1817

Ateneo de

Manila

Acquired prestige as an excellent college for

boys

Rizal Enters the Ateneo

Father Magin Ferrando, who was the school registrar, refused to admit

him for two reasons:

1) He was late for registration

2) He was sickly and undersized for his age

However, upon the intercession of Manuel Xerez Burgos, nephew of

Father Burgos, he was reluctantly admitted at the Ateneo which was

located at Intramuros, outside the walls of Manila.

Jose was the first of his family to adopt the surname Rizal

First boarded at Caraballo Street

25-minute walk from the college

Owned by a spinster named Titay who owed Rizal family P300

Their family name Mercado had come under the suspicion of Spanish

authorities

Jesuit System of EducationThe system of education given by the Jesuits in the Ateneo was more

advanced than that of other colleges in that period

It trained the student by rigid discipline and religious instruction

physical culture

humanities

scientific studies

agriculture

commerce

mechanics

surveying

Students were divided into two groups:

• The Roman Empire

- consisting of the internos (boarders)

• Carthaginian Empire

- composed of the externos (non-boarders)

Ranks

Best student - emperor

Second best - tribune

Third best - decurion

Fourth best - centurion

Fifth- best – standard-bearer

Red for the Romans and Blue for the Carthaginians

“Upon the first defeat, the banner of the losing party was transferred to the

left side of the room. Upon the second, it was placed in an inferior position

on the right side. Upon the third, the inclined flag was placed on the left.

Upon the fourth, the flag was reversed and returned to the right. Upon the

fifth, the reversed flag was placed on the left. Upon the sixth, the banner

was changed with a figure of a donkey.”

Uniform

hemp-fabric trousers

stripped cotton coat

The coat material was called rayadillo, which later became popular for it

was adopted as the uniform for Filipino troops during the days of the First

Philippine Republic

Rizal’s First Year in Ateneo (1872-1873)

Fr. Jose Bech

- first professor in Ateneo

- “Tall, thin man, with a body slightly bent forward, a harried walk,

an ascetic face, severe ad inspired, small seep-sunken eyes, a sharp nose

that was almost Greek, and thin lips forming an arc whose end fell toward

the chin.”• Belonged to the Carthaginians in which he was an externo

• Became the “emperor” at the end of the month

• Took private lessons in Santa Isabel College during the noon recesses

to improve his Spanish, which was actually P3 per session

• Placed second at the end of the year

Summer Vacation (1873-1874)

• Went to Calamba

• Did not enjoy his vacation because his mother was in prison

• Brought to Tanawan by his sister Neneng (Saturnina) to cheer him up,

but did not cure his melancholy

• Went to Santa Cruz without telling his father in order to visit his mother

Second Year in Ateneo (1873-1874)

• Once more, he became “emperor”

• Three of his new classmates were boys from Biñan, who had been his

classmates in the school of Maestro Justiniano

• Received excellent grades in all subjects and a gold medal at the end

of the school year

Prophecy of Mother’s Release

In the course of Rizal and his mother’s conversation, Doña Teodora told

her son of her dream the previous night. Rizal, interpreting the dream, told

her that she would be released from prison in three month’s time.

Rizal’s prophecy became true. Barely three months passed, and Doña

Teodora was set free.

Teenage Interest in Reading

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas

• First favorite novel

- made a deep impression on him. His boyish imagination

was stirred by the sufferings of Edmond Dantes (the hero)

in prison, his spectacular escape from the dungeon of

Chateau d’If, his finding a buried treasure on the rocky

island of Monte Cristo, and his dramatic revenge on his

enemies who had wronged him.

• Read not only fiction, but also non-fiction

• Persuaded his father to buy him a costly set of Universal History by

Cesar Cantu

• Read Travels in the Philippines by Dr. Feodor Jagor, a German

scientist-traveler who visited the Philippines in 1865-1890.

1) Jagor’s keen observations of the defects of Spanish

colonization2) His prophecy that someday Spain would lose the Philippines

and that America would come to succeed her as a colonizer

Third Year in Ateneo (1874-1875)

• Rizal did not make an excellent showing in his studies as in the previous

year

• His grades remained in all subjects, but he won only one medal—in Latin

• He failed to win the medal in Spanish because his spoken Spanish was

not fluently sonorous and was beaten by a Spaniard who could naturally

speak fluently and with right accentuation

Fourth Year in Ateneo (1875-1976)

• Became an interno on June 16, 1875

Fr. Francisco de Paula Sanchez

- one of his professors

- a great educator and scholar

- inspired the young Rizal to study harder and to write poetry

- became and admirer and friend of the great Calamba lad

- considered by Rizal as his best professor in Ateneo

- “model of uprightness, earnestness, and love for the

advancement of his pupils”

• Topped all his classmates in all subjects and won five medals at the

end of the school term

Last Year in Ateneo (1876-1877)

• The most brilliant Atenean of his time

• “The pride of the Jesuits”

• Obtained the highest grades in all subjects—philosophy, physics,

biology, chemistry, languages, mineralogy, etc.

Graduation with Highest HonorsRizal graduated at the head of his class. His scholastic records at the

Ateneo from 1872-1877 were as follows:

1872-1873

Arithmetic – EXCELLENT

Latin I – EXCELLENT

Spanish I – EXCELLENT

Greek I - EXCELLENT

1873-1874

Latin 2 – EXCELLENT

Spanish 2 – EXCELLENT

Greek 2 – EXCELLENT

Universal Geography - EXCELLENT

1874-1875

Latin 3 – EXCELLENT

Spanish 3 – EXCELLENT

Greek 3 – EXCELLENT

Universal History – EXCELLENT

History of Spain and the Philippines – EXCELLENT

Arithmetic and Algebra – EXCELLENT

1875-1876

Rhetoric and Poetry – EXCELLENT

French I – EXCELLENT

Geometry and Trigonometry – EXCELLENT

1876-1877

Philosophy I – EXCELLENT

Mineralogy & Chemistry – EXCELLENT

Philosophy 2 – EXCELLENT

Physics – EXCELLENT

Botany & Zoology - EXCELLENT

• Received from his Alma Mater, the Ateneo Municipal the degree of

Bachelor of Arts, with highest honors

Extra-Curricular Activities in

Ateneo• An “emperor” inside the classroom, a campus leader outside

• An active member, later secretary, of a religious society, the Marian

Congregation

• Devoted to Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, the college

patroness• Member of the Academy of Spanish Literature and the Academy of

Natural Sciences

• Continued to solicit Father Sanchez’ help in improving his poetry

• Devoted his spare time to fine arts

- Studied painting under the famous Spanish painter, Agustin Saez

- Studied sculpture under Romualdo de Jesus

• Engaged in gymnastics and fencing under his sports-minded Tio Manuel

Sculptural Works in Ateneo

• Carved an image of The Virgin Mary on a piece of batikuling

(Philippine hardwood) with his pocket knife

• Requested by Father Lleonart, who was impressed by his sculptural

talent, to carve him an image of the Sacred heart of Jesus

- Placed at the door of the dormitory of the Ateneo boarding

students

- Reminded all the Ateneans the greatest alumnus of their Alma

Mater, Dr. Jose Rizal

- Played a significant part in Rizal’s last hours at Fort Santiago

Anecdotes on Rizal, the Atenean

Felix M. Roxas

- Revealed the hero’s resignation to pain and forgiveness

Manuel Xerex Burgos

- Illustrated Rizal’s predilection to help the helpless at the risk of his own

life

Reference:

Zaide, Gregorio F. and Sonia M. Zaide. JOSE RIZAL: Life, Works and

Writings of a Genius, Writer, Scientist and National Hero (2nd ed.)

Philippines: All- Nations Publishing Co., Inc. 2014