Valencia, James Daniel M. EN1-10S RIZAL INSTRUCTION After learning the family of Dr. Jose Rizal, how are we going to categorize his social status? Was he an Indio or a mestizo? explain your answer. Biologically speaking, Dr. Jose Rizal can be considered a mestizo due to his Spanish and Chinese lineage, specifically his father being a Chinese mestizo which makes Rizal a Fifth generation Chinese mestizo. Additionally, considering the social structure of Dr. Jose Rizal, being part of a well-off family gives Rizal more rights than the Filipinos at the time. This indicates, that Dr. Jose Rizal has a higher than the normal Filipinos who were considered slaves within those times. Additionally, his right to study can also be considered, because not all Filipinos were given the chance to study, thus showing that Rizal is higher than Indio. On the other hand, considering the feats enacted by our National Hero, and his love for our country and its people, I can say that Rizal might not be a pure Filipino biologically, but he is a Filipino by heart. Despite Dr. Jose Rizal being our national hero, he is a Mestizo due to his rights and family lineage.
