Personalities, colleagues and friends attended the official farewell dedicated to the distinguished professor, praised for his thought and joint action in favor of the nation’s heritage and, in turn, with a solid endorsement in the promotion of the fine arts of the Caribbean country.
Honesty, lofty speech and an infinite will prevailed in the creed of life of Leal, one of the Quixotes of Cuban culture, who made the battle for absolute respect for the Homeland, its history, symbols and heroes his own.
In his quest to restore the so-called Wonder City, not only did the eloquence of his word work, but also his willingness to undertake titanic tasks that allowed him to restore the Historic Center of Havana, declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco in 1982.
He played another insurmountable role on the occasion of the 500th anniversary of Havana when he restored all its splendor to the city that proudly exhibited its renovated Capitol, a jewel of architecture and seat of Parliament, to whose rehabilitation he dedicated the last years of his life.
An essential man for the history of Cuba, the architect combined in a peculiar way the firmness of religious principles with an unequaled devotion for the Revolution and its maximum leader, Fidel Castro, with whom he shared significant moments and experiences.
The also Goodwill Ambassador of the United Nations system led projects of high social impact in the well-known Old Havana, where he is still remembered working, side by side, along with the vast team of specialists, who follow his legacy from the Historian’s Office from the city.
Ibero-America recognized the quality of his work with the delivery of Honoris Causa doctorates given by the universities of Peru, Chile and Cuba, as well as the Grand Cross of the Royal and Distinguished Spanish Order of Carlos III, the highest of the civil orders of the European country.
From that own nation, he deserved the Grand Cross of the Order of Isabel la Católica, granted by the Spanish government in 2017, while in 2019 he received the status of member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
His loss caused a wide repercussion in the country and the world, and he derived a unanimous reference for his contributions to culture since his work was transcendental for the conservation of the legacy of illustrious figures of the Caribbean nation and in Latin America.
In July 2020, funeral services were postponed due to isolation imposed by Covid-19; This did not prevent that, five months later, a representation of the people lavished numerous expressions of gratitude and respect to the Doctor in Historical Sciences, whose remains rest in the convent of San Francisco de Asís, in Old Havana.
acl / chm
