Interestingly enough, the first certificate is in the name of José Rizal Mercado; the other one is in the name that would eventually make him famous, José Rizal. Rizal was supposedly obliged to change his name to shield his identity as the brother of Paciano, who had used Mercado while living and working with the priest Father José Burgos. Father Burgos, one of the GomBurZa martyrs accused of mutiny, was executed in 1872. It was these deaths that unleashed a reign of terror but that also inspired an entire generation to work actively against the Spanish regime.
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The Rizal Certificates of Honor from the Ateneo Municipal
6 1/2”x 4 1/2” (17 cm x 11 cm)
PHP 700,000
Provenance: From the Family of Narcisa Rizal, third sister of José Rizal, from thence to her son Leoncio Lopez-Rizal, and from thence to his daughter Asuncion Lopez-Rizal, married to Antonio Bantug.