jose protasio rizal mercado y alonso realonda or popularly known as jose rizal 19 june 1861 30 december 1896 was a filipino nationalist and polymath during the last years of the spanish colonial period of the philippines an ophthalmologist by profession rizal became a writer and a key member of the filipino propaganda movement which advocated political reforms for the colony under spain he was executed by the spanish colonial government for the crime of rebellion after an anti colonial revolution inspired in part by his writings broke out though he was not actively involved in its 2b033ap.jpg from josé ramón emma guerrero View Photo