Historian and Journalist Ambeth Ocampo has been actively sharing information about Philippine National Hero Jose Rizal on his social media accounts, and well, his latest tidbit about Rizal is quite interesting.
Ocampo, who formerly sat as chairman of the National Historical Commission of the Philippines and the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, is also the author of several books including books about Rizal such as “Rizal Without the Overcoat” and “Makamisa: The Search for Rizal’s Third Novel.” Because of this, Ocampo is highly regarded as one of the most credible resource persons for anything and everything Jose Rizal. Here are some of factoids about Rizal shared by Ocampo, that we think you should also know about:
Jose Rizal’s Height
It seems like Rizal is not that short after all. The national hero was assumed to be just about 4’11”, however, Rizal himself saidotherwise. Ocampo shared that he found a writing of Rizal in one of his notebooks that stated he stood at 61 centimeters at 19 years and 4 days old – making him around 5’3” tall. Not a six footer, yes, but also definitely not a 4’11.
Jose Rizal’s “Lamparilla de Alcohol”
This lamp/burner that Rizal used for cooking or boiling water is the souvenir Rizal gave to his mother and sisters in Fort Santiago days before his execution. Ocampo shared that Rizal folded and hid the manuscript of “Ultimo Adios” inside the lamp/burner before giving it to his family.
Jose Rizal’s Self-Portrait
Selfie, anyone? Ocampo shared these two self-portraits of Rizal – the first portrait shows a shirtless Rizal during his youth which Rizal drew while posing in front of a mirror, and the second portrait that he drew in 1887 that he will send to Ferdinand Blumentritt ahead of their meeting as he ran out of photographs of himself. Rizal definitely was an innovative and creative person.
Jose Rizal’s Student’s Engravement
Ocampo shared his photo during his visit to the dam Rizal built on his Dapitan property and shared that the engraving on the dam was not just graffiti by just anyone, but instead of Rizal’s students – who helped build the dam and signed their names on the plaster when it was still wet.
Jose Rizal’s Brain Fragment
Just recently, Ocampo shared what appears to be a fragment of Rizal’s brain. According to him, Rizal’s eldest sister Saturnina kept a fragment of Rizal’s brain inside a bottle and was preserved in alcohol which then dried up.
Moreover, Ocampo shared that they’re still researching the story and the context of this newly discovered relic.
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