Chapter 6: In Sunny Spain (1882-1885)

 Jose Rizal is disgusted with the antiquated method of instruction in UST(Domincan-owned

university) and racial prejudice of Dominican professors against Filipino students.
 He decided to complete his studies in Spain, because the government of Spain at that time was
constitutional monarchy, which granted human rights to the people.
 Aside from this, his another reason, more importantly than finishing his course was his ”secret
mission”.

Rizal's Secret Mission

 This mission was to observe keenly the life and culture, languages, customs, industries and
commerce, and governments and laws of the European nations.
 This was evidenced in his farewell letter delivered to his parents after his departure.
 The Rizalian secret mission was likewise disclosed by Paciano in his letter dated May 20, 1982 in
Manila.

Secret Departure for Spain

 Rizal’s departure for Spain was kept secret to avoid detection by Spanish authorities and friars.
 His parents didn’t know because they wouldn’t allow him to go. Only his older brother(Paciano),
uncle(Antonio Rivera), his sisters(Neneng and Lucia), the Valenzuela family (Capitan Juan and
Capitana Sanday and their daughter Orang), Pedro A. Paterno, Compadre Mateo Evangelista, the
Ateneo Jesuit Fathers, and some intimate friend including Chengoy(Jose M. Cecilio).
 He used the name Jose Mercado, a cousin from Biñan.
 He wrote a farewell letter for his parents and also for his sweetheart, Leonor Rivera. Both were
delivered after he sailed away.
 On May 3, 1882, Rizal departed on board the Spanish steamer Salvadora bound for Singapore.

Singapore

 During the voyage to Singapore, he carefully observed the people and things on board the
steamer. There were 16 passengers including himself. He was the only Filipino, the rest were
Spaniards, British, and Indian Negroes.
 The ship captain, Donato Lecha from Austrias, Spain had befriended him. Rizal describe him as
”much more refined than his other countrymen and collegues that I have met”.
 To kill boredom, Rizal played chess against his fellow passengers and he defeated them many
times.
 On May 8, 1882, Rizal saw an island and he remembered ”Talim Island with the Susong Dalaga”
 The following day (May 9), Salvadora docked at Singapore. Rizal registered at Hotel de la Paz and
spent 2 days on sightseeing.

From Singapore to Colombo

 Rizal transferred to another ship, Djemnah, a French steamer, left Singapore for Europe on May
11. It was larger and cleaner vessel and carried more passengers. There were British, French,
Dutch, Spaniards, Malays, Siamese, and Filipinos (Mr&Mrs. Salazar and Mr. Vicente Pardo).
 French was mostly spoken on board. Rizal attempted to converse in French but was embarrased
upon finding out that his book of French which he learned at Ateneo couldn’t be understood. By
 conversing daily with French passengers, he was able to improve his knowledge of the French
language.
 On May 17, Djemnah reached Point Galle, seacoast in southern Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). Rizal was
unimpressed by this town.
 The following day, Djemnah resumed voyage towards Colombo, the capital of Ceylon. Rizal was
fascinated by Colombo and wrote on his diary: ”Colombo is more beautiful, smart, and elegant
than Singapore, Point Galle, and Manila.”

First Trip Through Suez Canal

 From Colombo, Djemnah continued voyage crossing Indian Ocean to the cape of Guardafui,
Africa. For the first time, Rizal saw the barren coast of Africa.
 The next stopover is in Aden, the city was hotter than Manila and yet he was amused to see the
camels. It was his first time seeing those animals.
 From Aden, Djemnah proceeded to the city of Suez, the Red Sea terminal of the Suez Canal. Rizal
disembarked and went sightseeing. He was impressed by the moonlight because it reminded
him of Calamba and his family.
 It took 5 days for Djemnah to traverse the Suez Canal. This canal was built by Ferdinand de
Lesseps. It was inaugurated on November 17, 1869.
 At Port Said, the Mediterranean terminal of Suez Canal, he was fascinated to hear multi-racial
languages.

Naples and Marseilles

 From Port Said, they proceeded on way to Europe.

 On June 11, Rizal reached Naples, an Italian city that pleased Rizal due to its business activities,
lively people, and panoramic beauty. He was also fascinated by Mt. Vesuvius and the Castle of St.
Telmo.
 On the night of June 12, the French steamer docked at the harbor of Marseilles. Rizal
disembarked.
 He visited the famous Chateau d’lf (sha-toe deef), where Dantes, hero of The Count of Monte
Cristo, was imprisoned.
 He stayed two and half days in Marseilles, enjoying every day of his sojourn.

Barcelona

 On the afternoon of May 15, Rizal left Marseilles by train for Spain. He stopped at the frontier
town of Port Bou for inspection. He noticed the indifference accorded by the Spanish
immigration to tourist contrasting to the courtesy of the French immigration.
 After passport inspection at Port Bou, Rizal continued his way and finally reaching his
destination, Barcelona on June 16, 1882.
 Rizal’s first impression of Barcelona, greatest city of Cataluña and Spain’s second largest city, was
unfavorable. He thought it was ugly, dirty,and residents were inhospitable. Later, he came to like
the city. He found it to be with an atmosphere of freedom and liberalism. People were open-
hearted, hospitable, and courageous.
 Filipinos in Barcelona welcomed Rizal. They gave him a party at Plaza de Cataluña, in turn, he
gave them the latest news and gossips in the Philippines.

"Amor Patrio"
  In Barcelona, Rizal wrote a nationalistic essay entitled ”Amor Patrio”(Love of Country), his first
article written on Spain’s soil.He sent the article to Basilio Teodoro Moran, publisher of Diariong
Tagalog, the first Manila bilingual newspaper.
 The essay under pen-name Laong Laan appeared in print in Diariong Tagalog on August 20, 1882.
Published in 2 texts, originally written by Rizal in Spanish and the Tagalog text was translated by
M.H. del Pilar.
 This essay urged his compatriots to love their fatherland, the Philippines.
 Basilio Teodoro Moran was deeply impressed by ”Amor Patrio” and requested for more articles.
 Rizal wrote 2nd article entitled ”Los Viajes” (Travels). His 3rd article entitled ”Revista de Madrid”
(Review of Madrid), written in Madrid on November 29, 1882, was returned because the
publication stopped due to lack of funds.

Manila Moves to Madrid

 While sojourning in Barcelona, Rizal received sad news about cholera in Manila and provinces.
Many people died and more dying everyday. According to Paciano’s letter, dated September 15,
1882, the Calamba folks prayed to God to stop the epidemic, which even Spanish authorities are
impotent to check.
 Another sad news was the letter of Chengoy talking about the unhappines of Leonor Rivera and
that she was getting thinner because of the absence of a loved one.
 On of his letters, dated May 26, 1882, Paciano advised Jose to finish medical course in Madrid.
Evidently Rizal followed his brother’s advice and left Barcelona in the fall of 1882, establishing
himself in Madrid, the capital of Spain.

Life in Madrid

 November 3, 1882 – Rizal enrolled in Universidad Central de Madrid(Central University

of Madrid) in 2 courses:
-Medicine, Philosophy and Letters
 He also studied painting and sculpture in the Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando.
 He also took lessons in French, German, and English
 He also practiced fencing and shooting in the Hall of Arms of Sanz y Carbonell.
 He visited art galleries, museums, and read books.
 He led Spartan life in Madrid to prepare himself for service to his fatherland.
 He budgeted his money and time, never wasting any amount for gambling, wine, and
women.
 At times, in his leisure time, he invest few pesetas for a lottery ticket, but most of the
time he spent it for reading, writing, and attending reunions of Filipino students.
 On Saturday evenings, he visited Don Pablo Ortiga y Rey, a former city mayor in Manila
and later promoted as Vice-President of the Council of the Philippines in the Ministry of
Colonies. He lived along with his son, Rafael and daughter, Consuelo.

Romance with Consuelo Ortiga y Perez

 Although Rizal was not a handsome man, he possessed an aura of charisma due to his talents
and noble character, makes him looking attractive to young women, and Consuelo, Don Pablo’s
daughter also fell inlove with him.
  Rizal, being lonely and away from his homeland, became attracted to Consuelo’s beauty and
vivacity.
 On August 22,1883, Rizal wrote a poem dedicated to her entitled A La Señorita C.O.y P. (To Miss
C.O.y P.), expressing his admiration for her.
 However, before his romance with Consuelo could blossom into serious affair, he backed out for
2 reasons:
-He was still engaged to Leonor Rivera
-His friend andco-worker in Propaganda Movement, Eduardo de Lete is inlove with Consuelo. He
had no wish to break their friendship just because for a girl.

"They Ask Me For Verses"

 1882 – Rizal joined the Circulo Hispano-Filipino (Hispano-Philippine Circle), a society of Spaniards
and Filipinos.
 Rizal wrote ”Me Piden Versos” (They Ask Me For Verses) and he personally declaimed it at the
New Year’s Eve reception of the Madrid Filipinos held in the evening of December 31, 1882.
 In this sad poem, he poured out the cry of his agonizing heart.

Rizal as Lover of Books

 Reading- Rizal’s favorite pastime in Madrid.

 Instead of gambling and flirting with girls, he stayed at home, reading books until midnight.
 Rizal budgeted his living expenses. With some of the money he saved, he purchased books from
second-hand book store owned by Señor Roces.
 Rizal was able to build a fair-sized private library.
 Some of his collections were:
-The Bible
-Hebrew Grammar
-Complete Works of Voltaire (9 Volumes)

Rizal's First Visit to Paris

 Rizal’s first summer vacation in Madrid, he went to Paris, sojourning from June 17 to August 20,
1883.
 Rizal was particularly fascinated by these places:
-Beautiful boulevards - Champ Elysees (ey-lee-zey)
-Opera House
-Place de la Concorde (plas de la kon-kurd)
-Arch of Triumph
-Bois de Boulogne (bwah duh boo-lohn)
-Madelaine Church (mad-l-in)
-Cathedral of Notre Dame (noh-truh deym, dahm)
-Column of Vendome (vahn- dohm)
-Invalides -tomb of Napoleon the Great Versailles (ver-sahy)
 Rizal improved his mind by observing French way of life and spending hours at the museums,
notably the world famous Louvre (loo-ver).
 He also went to the botanical gardens, especially the Luxembourg.
 He also went to the libraries, art galleries, and even hospitals (Laennec Hospital and Lariboisiere
Hospital) to observe.
 Many Parisians thought Rizal was Japanese.
 The prices of virtually almost everything in Paris was too high. He commented on his letter to his
family: ”Paris is the cosliest capital in Europe.”