Immediately after his execution by a firing squad on 30 December 1896, the body of Filipino nationalist martyr Dr. Jose Rizal was hastily buried by the Spanish authorities in a makeshift grave which was intentionally mis-marked so as to mislead his followers. Rizal's remains were exhumed two years later and moved to the family home where they remained until 1912, when they were once more exhumed and laid to rest beneath this monument. Guarded by sentries dressed in full regalia, the Rizal Monument stands as a symbol of Filipino nationhood.