On 25 June 1884, Hotel Inglés on Calle Echegaray, Madrid, hosted a grand celebratory banquet honoring two Filipino painters who won major awards at the Madrid Exposition: Juan Luna (who won gold for Spoliarium) and Félix Resurrección Hidalgo (who won silver for Virgenes Cristianas Expuestas al Populacho).

During this banquet, the 23-year-old Jose Rizal delivered a legendary, fiery speech. First, he praised his friends’ masterpieces as symbols of freedom, then challenged the Spanish colonial establishment by declaring that genius knows no geographical boundaries and that the “indio” could equal or even surpass the colonial masters if given the chance. This speech is widely considered a foundational moment in the Philippine Propaganda Movement.

Now known as the Gran Hotel Inglés, the 19th-century five-star grand deluxe hotel is the city’s oldest hotel, having opened in 1886. It has since been restored as an Art Deco-style boutique hotel and was a 2024 recipient of the prestigious One Michelin Key, recognizing it as one of the most exceptional hotels in Spain.

In 2022, the Philippine Embassy in Madrid, along with the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP), donated a bronze bust of Jose Rizal to the hotel. The hotel proudly displays Rizal’s bust in the lobby, along with historical mementos and plaques.