Eusebio Leal Spengler was born on September 11, 1942, in Havana, Cuba. He was a historian, essayist, researcher, and Cuban 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 of the University of Havana from 1974 to 1979, after preparing for the proficiency exams without having officially completed any other level of schooling.
He held the academic degrees of Doctor in Historical Sciences from the University of Havana, Master in Archaeological Sciences from the same university, and Master in Latin American, Caribbean, and Cuban Studies. Additionally, he was the City Historian and Director of the World Heritage Restoration Program.
In his long career, he held more than 20 positions in various institutions both inside and outside of Cuba, such as the Royal Spanish Academy of 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, served as a full and visiting professor at various universities in Cuba and Latin America. Additionally, he was a Deputy to 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 decorations and was bestowed the title of Doctor Honoris Causa by more than 10 universities worldwide.
He wrote essays, forewords, and articles on Cuban History, topics related to America, restoration, and Museology that have been published in Cuba and abroad. He is the author of brochures and books, including: Returning in Time; Halt, Walker; Words Are Fleeting; 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, responsible for restoring Old Havana and transforming a marginalized and decaying area into one of the most emblematic Historical Centers in the Americas, as well as one of the top tourist destinations in Havana. Thanks to this ambitious project he led to restore churches, fortresses, palatial homes, hotels, museums, residential buildings, shops, and other historical sites, the Historic Center of Havana was declared a World Heritage site by UNESCO in 1982.
He was the Director of the Tourism Company Habaguanex S.A., overseeing a vast network of hotels and non-hotel services (gastronomy and commerce) that was established on January 6, 1994, by the Office of the Historian of the City. Today, it comprises more than 300 establishments, including restaurants, shops, markets, cafes, and 16 hotels and hostels offering a total of 546 rooms in various categories. Ironically, on July 31, 2016, exactly four years before Eusebio's death, Habaguanex came under the control of the military conglomerate GAESA, belonging to the Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR), “to achieve a more efficient function,” according to General Leonardo Ramón Andollo Valdés, who officially announced the new assignment in the absence of Eusebio, who, loyal to his Havana, did not attend. This sudden change in leadership caused quite a stir among Cubans.
Leal starred for years in the television program "Andar La Habana," which made him popular throughout the island, where each day he showcased a corner of the city from a historical and architectural perspective.
In November 2019, despite its significant deterioration, he accompanied the Kings of Spain, Felipe VI and Letizia, on their tour of the historic center of Havana and was awarded by the monarch with the Grand Cross of the Royal and Distinguished Spanish Order of Charles III.
Her most recent public appearance was on June 16, 2020, to bid farewell to the vedette Rosita Fornés.
