Jose Rizal height: A discussion on how tall (or short) our hero was
“Jose Rizal height” has been a topic, if not a controversy. Of course, the issue is about “Jose Rizal’s height,” but since today’s generation seems to have no time in including the “apostrophe s” (‘s), the topic has become “Jose Rizal height.”
So how tall (or short) is Jose Rizal?
Common references today state that Jose Rizal was 1.5 meter (150 cm) tall (or short). But using a different metric system, sources declare that he has 5’3” stature.
Notice that 5’3” is not equivalent to 1.5 meters—it is about 4 inches more than the real equivalent of 1.5 meter height (or 59 inches).
So probably, the claim that Jose Rizal is (just) 4’11’ is more reliable, for it is the near equivalent of 1.5 meters. Moreover, the 4’11” suggestion is based on Jose Rizal’s clothing that museums now possess.
To compensate for his height, Jose Rizal nevertheless turned to sports like weightlifting to improve his physique. It is said that Jose Rizal’s chest measured 37 inches, astonishingly 12-inch larger than his 25” to 26” waist. (So how about that? … Kaya nyo yun?)
‘Jose Rizal height’ compared to his father
Don Francisco Mercado Rizal, Jose’s father, is taller than the hero. Many pictures of Don Francisco prove this, and it is corroborated by the clay bust and sculpture Rizal himself made of his father.
In 1881, Jose made a clay bust of his father. About six years later, he carved a life-size wood sculpture of Don Francisco. It is said that Jose spent a lot of time finishing the life-size sculpture—because Don Kiko, unlike the national hero, was above average in height!
‘Jose Rizal height’ compared to his brother
Jose Rizal’s big brother, Paciano, is indeed big, that is, bigger than Jose.
According to his grandchildren, Paciano had a very fair complexion and rosy cheeks. His descendants were quick to add that their lolo was more handsome than the national hero, and much taller, about 5’7” to 5’9.
It is said that “When he [Paciano] died and the body was brought to the funeraria, his feet stuck out of the coffin, which was too small for him” (as cited in Ocampo, 2012, p. 43).
Read: The Interesting Tales of the Jose Rizal Family by Jensen DG. Mañebog
This description though was neither relative nor one-sided, for it was confirmed by Jose Rizal himself. In a letter to his friend Ferdinand Blumentritt, Jose wrote: “[Paciano] is more refined and serious than I, taller, more slender, and fairer in complexion than I with a nose that is fine, beautiful and sharp pointed, but he is bow-legged.” (as cited in “A Rizal in Los Baños,” n.d. para. 35)
Bonus: Jose Rizal’s “tall” girlfriend
One of Rizal’s so-called girlfriends was Leonor Valenzuela. Nicknamed Orang, she was commonly described as a “tall girl” with regal bearing who was Rizal’s province-mate. She was the daughter of Capitan Juan and Capitana Sanday Valenzuela, who were from Pagsanjan, Laguna.
Orang was Rizal’s neighbor when he boarded in the house of Doña Concha Leyva in Intramuros during his sophomore year at the University of Santo Tomas as medicine student.
To finally move on perhaps from his unsuccessful love story with Segunda Katigbak (his so-called first love), Rizal frequently visited Orang’s house with or without social gatherings. (Read: Segunda Katigbak and Jose Rizal: Their secret strange last meeting)
The proofs that Rizal indeed courted her were the love letters he sent her. His love notes were mysteriously written in invisible ink made of common table salt and water, which could be read by heating the note over a candle or lamp.
Read: The Colorful Love Affairs of Dr. Jose Rizal by Jensen DG. Mañebog
More than a manifestation of Rizal’s knowledge of chemistry, his magical love notes to Orang, one can say, are a proof that he wanted to keep the courtship private. (Read: Leonor Valenzuela and Jose Rizal’s Invisible Love Letters)
But why would he want to keep it secret?
Was he shy for people to know that he was courting a “tall girl”? Well, I, myself, am not sure if it had something to do with “Jose Rizal height.”
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Copyright by Jensen DG. Mañebog
Read: Jose Rizal’s Collaborations with Other Heroes by Jensen DG. Mañebog
Check Out: The Colorful Love Affairs of Dr. Jose Rizal by Jensen DG. MañebogJensen DG. Mañebog, the contributor, is an author of textbooks and professorial lecturer emeritus in the graduate school of a state university in Metro Manila. His unique e-books on Rizal (available online) comprehensively tackle, among others, the respective life of Rizal’s parents, siblings, co-heroes, and girlfriends. (e-mail: [email protected])
Read Also:
The Interesting Tales of the Jose Rizal Family by Jensen DG. Mañebog