Cuban intellectual Eusebio Leal, who passed away last Friday, leaves a great legacy: an Old Havana restored with the help of neighbors who joined the master plan that changed the destiny of their community.
In this way, Panamanian journalist Modesto Tuñon concludes his article, published this Wednesday in La Estrella de Panama newspaper, in which he praises the social work and heritage restoration performed by the Havana historian in the historic center of the Cuban capital.
After Leal was appointed as Havana historian in 1967, he gradually modified that sector under several principles: safeguarding the national identity through research, promotion and development of culture, and protecting inherited heritage.
The Government House, the Palacio de los Capitanes Generales (Captain Generals Palace), the Castillo de Los Tres Reyes del Morro or the Morro Castle, in the San Carlos de la Cabaña Fortress, and the National Capitol, were among the restored works.
Despite the hard work, he dedicated time to write a book, said the journalist, who reviewed some of Leal’s speeches he heard live, the first one in Panama, where he compared the Havana harbor with others on the continent and in Montecristi, Dominican Republic, where he talked about Cuban independence heroes Jose Marti and Antonio Maceo, who had being to Panama.
The Cuban Window 