Jose Rizal was a novelist and physician who was born and lived in a Spanish Colony in the Philippines.

He
was raised in a Tagalog region, had Tagalog ancestry, and spoke Tagalog in their household. He is
classified as Chinese mestizo in a Spanish colonial administration because of his Chinese ancestry. He
was well educated in a Spanish educational system, and he also learned Spanish language there in which
he used in his novels and other writings.

………….

Jose Rizal traveled alone to Europe to pursue his studies in Medicine at the Universidad Central de
Madrid. Spain was the venue of Rizal for realizing his dreams. It was the point of awakening in him an
understanding of human nature that sparks him in the realization that his people needed him. He
publishes books to which all the members would contribute papers on various aspects and conditions of
the life in the Philippines. Jose Rizal became part of the Propaganda Movement, connecting with other
Filipinos who wanted reform. He also wrote his first novel, Noli Me Tangere, a work that detailed the
dark aspects of Spain's colonial rule in the Philippines, with particular focus on the role of Catholic friars.
The book was banned in the Philippines, though copies were smuggled in. He also releases his sequel of
his novel, El Filibusterismo. He also published articles in La Solidaridad, a paper aligned with the
Propaganda Movement. The reforms Rizal advocated for did not include independence, he called for
equal treatment of Filipinos, limiting the power of Spanish friars and representation for the Philippines
in the Spanish Cortes.