Eusebio Leal Spengler (11 September 194231 July 2020) was a Cuban historian. He served as the municipal historian of Havana, as well as the director of the restoration project of Old Havana. Under his oversight, the historic centre of the capital city became a

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. He also authored books and hosted radio and television programs that recounted the city and its history.

Early life

Leal was born in

Havana Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center. He was raised by a single mother, who was a washerwoman and cleaner. He

dropped out Dropping out refers to leaving high school, college, university or another group for practical reasons, necessities, inability, apathy, or disillusionment with the system from which the individual in question leaves. Canada In Canada, most ind ...

of school during grade six in order to support the two of them. Although he did not receive further formal schooling, he passed the university entrance exam through self-learning. He studied at the

University of Havana The University of Havana (UH; ) is a public university located in the Vedado district of Havana, the capital of Cuba. Founded on 5 January 1728, the university is the oldest in Cuba, and one of the first to be founded in the Americas. Originall ...

, obtaining a

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...

in Latin American, Caribbean, and Cuban studies and a doctorate of historical science from the same institution. During his studies, he would read in the small museum run by Emilio Roig de Leushenring, to whom he was introduced in 1962. Leal would go on to be mentored by Roig, until the latter's death in 1964.

Career

Leal succeeded Roig as the city historian of

Havana Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.Palacio de los Capitanes Generales Palacio (''palace'') is a Spanish language, Spanish habitational name. It may have originated from many places in Spain, especially in Galicia (Spain), Galicia and Asturias. Notable people with the surname include: *Agustina Palacio de Libarona (1 ...

, situated on the

Plaza de Armas ''Plaza de armas'' (pl. ; literally ''arms square'' or ''place-of-arms'') is a Spanish language, Spanish term commonly used to refer to town square, town squares in Latin America, Spain and the Philippines, as well as a name commonly given to th ...

. The project took 11 years to complete and, by the end of the 1970s, became the municipal museum with Leal selected to be its first director. Subsequently, he managed to have the entire Old Havana cited as a

in 1982. Leal was able to put his master plan of refurbishing 30 buildings into action with the support of

Fidel Castro Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz (13 August 1926 – 25 November 2016) was a Cuban politician and revolutionary who was the leader of Cuba from 1959 to 2008, serving as the prime minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976 and President of Cuba, president ...

. The

dissolution of the Soviet Union The Soviet Union was formally dissolved as a sovereign state and subject of international law on 26 December 1991 by Declaration No. 142-N of the Soviet of the Republics of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union. Declaration No. 142-Н of ...

in 1991, coupled with the cessation of sugar subsidies, resulted in a period of economic hardship in Cuba called the

Special Period The Special Period (), officially the Special Period in the Time of Peace (), was an extended period of economic crisis in Cuba that began in 1991 primarily due to the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the Comecon. The economic depression o ...

. Leal realised that the Cuban state could not fund the restoration of Old Havana directly. As a result, he persuaded Castro to pass part of the profits from commercial businesses set up in the area to fund the restoration. For that purpose, he established several companies to draw foreign investment into the country. This included

Habaguanex S.A. The Habaguanex S.A. is a Cuban hospitality company which was founded by the Office of the Historian of Havana City and directed by Eusebio Leal. History The Habaguanex Tourist Company was founded on 6 January 1994. Habaguanex S.A. offers a histor ...

, a tourist-management company that owned hotels and restaurants, and was not liable to tax on its profits. Leal was accorded unparalleled freedom from government intervention, such as being granted

US$ The United States dollar (Currency symbol, symbol: Dollar sign, $; ISO 4217, currency code: USD) is the official currency of the United States and International use of the U.S. dollar, several other countries. The Coinage Act of 1792 introdu ...

1 million in

seed money Seed money, also known as seed funding or seed capital, is a form of securities offering in which an investor puts capital in a startup company in exchange for an equity stake or convertible note stake in the company. The term ''seed'' suggest ...

to be used at his own discretion. He also was allocated a special security force to protect him at historical sites. The successful revitalization effort, and the broad powers given to him by the government, resulted in Leal becoming the de facto mayor of Old Havana. He would greet foreign heads of state at the airport from time to time, and supervise cultural and state events. He was also a member of the ruling Cuban Communist Party's elite Central Committee and eventually, was regarded as an elder statesman.

Other positions

Leal was president of the Commission of Monuments in the City of Havana and a specialist in Archeological Sciences. He also served as deputy to the

National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repr ...

, as well as a goodwill ambassador for the

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. He established his own radio and television show entitled, "Andar la Habana", in which he chronicled forgotten historical accounts while taking a stroll down the streets of Old Havana. He wrote a number of books about Havana, including ''Desafío de Una Utopía'' (Challenge of a Utopia, 1996), which explored how Old Havana could be preserved, and ''La Habana, ciudad antigua'' (Havana, ancient city, 1988).

Personal life

Leal was a close friend of Fidel Castro and his brother Raúl. Nonetheless, he eschewed making open political expressions, preferring to identify himself as a "Fidelist" rather than a Marxist. His predominantly

moderate Moderate is an ideological category which entails centrist views on a liberal-conservative spectrum. It may also designate a rejection of radical or extreme views, especially in regard to politics and religion. Political position Canad ...

political positions led to him being excluded from a key promotion when Raul became president in February 2008; however, he ultimately remained in his post. Leal was a devout

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

. He credited his enjoyment of restoring historical structures to his early commitment to the Church. Consequently, he championed the

freedom of religion Freedom of religion or religious liberty, also known as freedom of religion or belief (FoRB), is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or community, in public or private, to manifest religion or belief in teaching, practice ...

for all those who also wanted to participate in the Communist Party. His faith drew the ire of many bureaucrats within the party, however, he saw no disjuncture between religion and revolution, stating in a 2010 interview that "for me they were never incompatible". Leal's son, Javier, runs a travel agency and an art gallery in Barcelona, Spain. Leal died on the morning of 31 July 2020. He was 77, and had been suffering from cancer.

Awards and honours

Leal was promoted to Commander of the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

in January 2013, having previously been Knight and Officer of that same order. In 2017, he received both the

Order of Isabella the Catholic The Royal Order of Isabella the Catholic (; Abbreviation, Abbr.: OYC) is a knighthood and one of the three preeminent Order of merit, orders of merit bestowed by the Kingdom of Spain, alongside the Order of Charles III (established in 1771) and ...

from the Spanish government, as well as the

Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (, or , BVO) is the highest state decoration, federal decoration of the Federal Republic of Germany. It may be awarded for any field of endeavor. It was created by the first List of president ...

. The following year, the

Order of Merit The Order of Merit () is an order of merit for the Commonwealth realms, recognising distinguished service in the armed forces, science, art, literature, or the promotion of culture. Established in 1902 by Edward VII, admission into the order r ...

was bestowed on him by

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

. Subsequently, during a visit to Cuba by

Felipe VI of Spain Felipe VI (; Felipe Juan Pablo Alfonso de Todos los Santos de Borbón y Grecia; born 30 January 1968) is King of Spain. In accordance with the Spanish Constitution, as monarch, he is head of state and commander-in-chief of the Spanish Armed For ...

in November 2019, he was awarded the Grand Cross of the

Order of Charles III The Royal and Distinguished Spanish Order of Charles III, originally Royal and Much Distinguished Order of Charles III (, originally ; Abbreviation, Abbr.: OC3) is a knighthood and one of the three preeminent Order of merit, orders of merit bes ...

. Leal served as guide to both Felipe and Queen Letizia during their tour of Old Havana. In addition to those from his home country, Leal received

honorary degree An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or '' ad hon ...

s from universities in Chile, Greece, Italy, Peru, and Uruguay.

Other honours

Source: *Officer of the

Order of Merit of the Italian Republic The Order of Merit of the Italian Republic () is the most senior Italian order of merit. It was established in 1951 by the second President of Italy, President of the Italian Republic, Luigi Einaudi. The highest-ranking honour of the Republi ...

Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland The Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland () is a Polish order of merit created in 1974, awarded to persons who have rendered great service to Poland. It is granted to foreigners or Poles resident abroad. As such, it is sometimes referred to as ...

, Gold Star *Order of Merit for Distinguished Services of the

Republic of Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

, Grand Cross * Order of Merit of the Republic of Colombia, Commander * Order of Academic Palms of

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, Officer * Order of the Arts and Letters of France

Awards

Source: *International Architecture Prize ''Philippe Rothie'' of

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

*2002 Prize of the Association for the Management of the Urban Centers AGECU in the Section of

Latin American Latin Americans (; ) are the citizenship, citizens of Latin American countries (or people with cultural, ancestral or national origins in Latin America). Latin American countries and their Latin American diaspora, diasporas are Metroethnicity, ...

Initiative,

Valencia, Spain Valencia ( , ), formally València (), is the capital of the Province of Valencia, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, the same name in Spain. It is located on the banks of the Turia (r ...

*First Prize to the Restoration of the city of

Alcalá de Henares Alcalá de Henares () is a Spanish municipality of the Community of Madrid. Housing is primarily located on the right (north) bank of the Henares River, Henares. , it has a population of 193,751, making it the region's third-most populated Municip ...

*Prize ARPAFIL of the International Book Fair of

Guadalajara Guadalajara ( ; ) is the capital and the most populous city in the western Mexican List of states of Mexico, state of Jalisco, as well as the most densely populated municipality in Jalisco. According to the 2020 census, the city has a population ...

2002 *Prize of the city of

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

of 1998 *Prize of the city of

Valencia Valencia ( , ), formally València (), is the capital of the Province of Valencia, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, the same name in Spain. It is located on the banks of the Turia (r ...

*Prize ''Arthur Posnansky'' granted by the Presidency of the Republic of Bolivia *Prize of the Royal Foundation of Toledo for the ''Rehabilitation of the Historical Center of Havana'', in an act presided over by the

King of Spain The monarchy of Spain or Spanish monarchy () is the constitutional form of government of Spain. It consists of a Hereditary monarchy, hereditary monarch who reigns as the head of state, being the highest office of the country. The Spanish ...

*Golden Medal for Merit to Culture – Gloria Artis,

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

*Commemorative medal on the 1300 years of the Bulgarian State *Commemorative medal on the 40th Anniversary of the Victory over Fascism of the

People's Republic of Bulgaria The People's Republic of Bulgaria (PRB; , NRB; ) was the official name of Bulgaria when it was a socialist republic from 1946 to 1990, ruled by the Bulgarian Communist Party (BCP; ) together with its coalition partner, the Bulgarian Agraria ...

*Commemorative medal on the 40th Anniversary of the Victory over Fascism of the

Czechoslovak Socialist Republic The Czechoslovak Socialist Republic, (Czech language, Czech and Slovak language, Slovak: ''Československá socialistická republika'', ČSSR) known from 1948 to 1960 as the Czechoslovak Republic (''Československá republika)'', Fourth Czecho ...

*Pablo Neruda Medal of Presidential Honor,

Republic of Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes Mountains and the Pacific Oce ...

*Victor Hugo Medal of

* Henry Hope Reed Award, 2016

References

External links

Eusebio Leal on Cuba ArteEusebio Leal on Havana Cultural Patrimony
{{DEFAULTSORT:Leal, Eusebio 1942 births 2020 deaths 20th-century Cuban writers 20th-century Cuban historians 20th-century Cuban male writers Commanders Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Communist Party of Cuba politicians 21st-century Cuban historians Cuban Roman Catholics Deaths from cancer in Cuba Knights Grand Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic Writers from Havana History of Havana Historians of Cuba Recipients of the Civil Order of Alfonso X, the Wise