Eusebio Leal Spengler was born on September 11, 1942, in Havana, Cuba. He was a Cuban historian, essayist, researcher, and intellectual known for his title of Historian of the City, which he held until his death in Havana on July 31, 2020.
Leal, a self-taught individual, reached the sixth grade while working in the municipal government and was taken under the wing of Emilio Roig de Leuchsenring, his predecessor as the Historian of Havana, who guided him in his vocation as a historian. He pursued a degree in History at the Faculty of Philosophy and History at the University of Havana from 1974 to 1979 after preparing for the proficiency exams without having officially completed any other educational level.
He held the academic degrees of Doctor of Historical Sciences from the University of Havana, Master in Archaeological Sciences from the same university, and Master's in Latin American, Caribbean, and Cuban Studies. Additionally, he served as City Historian and Director of the World Heritage Restoration Program.
In his long career, he held over 20 positions in various institutions both within and outside of Cuba, such as the Royal Academy of Spanish History, the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando, the Mexican Academy of Language, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He was a member of several associations, held chairs, and served as a regular and guest professor at various universities in Cuba and Latin America. Additionally, he was a Deputy in the National Assembly of Cuba, Honorary President of the National Union of Historians of Cuba (UNHIC), and President of the Commission of Monuments of the City of Havana.
He has been honored with over forty international awards and distinctions and has been awarded an honorary doctorate by more than 10 universities around the world.
He wrote essays, prefaces, and articles on the History of Cuba, topics related to America, restoration, and museology that have been published both in Cuba and abroad. He is the author of pamphlets and books, including: Returning in Time; Stop, Walker; Verba Volant; Fiñes; Carlos Manuel de Céspedes. The Lost Diary, Aeterna Sapientia, and The Light on the Mirror.
For the Cuban people, Leal was a beloved and admired figure, credited with the restoration of Old Havana, transforming a marginalized and decaying area into one of the most iconic historic centers in the Americas, as well as one of the most popular tourist destinations in Havana. Thanks to the ambitious project he led to restore churches, fortresses, mansions, hotels, museums, residential buildings, shops, and other historic structures, the Historic Center of Havana was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1982.
He served as Director of Habaguanex S.A., a company overseeing a wide network of hotel and non-hotel (gastronomic and commercial) services, which was established on January 6, 1994, by the Office of the City Historian. Today, it encompasses over 300 facilities, including restaurants, shops, markets, cafes, and 16 hotels and hostels, totaling 546 rooms across various categories. Ironically, on July 31, 2016, exactly four years before Eusebio's death, Habaguanex came under the control of the military empire GAESA, belonging to the Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR), "to achieve a more efficient operation," according to the words of Division General Leonardo Ramón Andollo Valdés, who made the new assignment official in the absence of Eusebio, who, loyal to his Havana, did not attend. This sudden shift in leadership sparked much conversation among the Cuban people.
Leal starred for many years in the television program "Andar La Habana," which made him popular across the island and where he showcased a corner of the city each day from a historical and architectural perspective.
In November 2019, despite its significant deterioration, he accompanied the King and Queen of Spain, Felipe VI and Letizia, on their tour of the historic center of Havana and was awarded the Grand Cross of the Royal and Distinguished Order of Charles III by the monarch.
His most recent public appearance was on June 16, 2020, to bid farewell to the vedette Rosita Fornés.
