The historian Eusebio Leal Spengler came to Camagüey for the first time, in September 1985. It was not necessary to insist the Minister of the FAR and Army General Raúl Castro Ruz, nor the First Secretary of the Provincial Committee of the Party in Camagüey Lázaro Vázquez García, of how useful his visit to the Agramontina City would be. His arduousness and passion for history was overwhelming and contagious. He knew of the land blessed by the blood of Major Ignacio Agramonte’s men. For him, Camagüey took on special significance for being the cradle of insular literature, for its struggles, for its men and women of the Enlightenment, for its archaic churches and convents, and so many heritage landmarks.

Camagüey called and Leal answered

Honoring his surname, he went to the highest authority of the Party, the Government and the Culture. Camagüey had the impression that Eusebio intended to promote priorities, unite wills and mobilize thought to engage the locals in the beginning as soon as possible to the talk of the historic city. First, almost in silence, explore possibilities of unity of organizations to take action towards those significant exponents of the built heritage. So those summoned “lobbied” and committed themselves to working steadily in the design of collaborative projects between Havana and Camagüey, in support with local material and financial resources, in the training of specialists and technicians, in the proper management of the area of ​​greatest heritage value, restoring ruins such as El Oriente and La Matilde sugar mills, making television and radio programs, participatory cultural development, extensive dissemination plan … Eusebio dreamed and suggested.

Leal and the other birthday

On September 28th, all of Cuba would celebrate the anniversary of the Committee for the Defense of the Revolution. Leal after meetings and visiting heritage sites, that night his hosts would take him to the celebration on San Rafael Street that faced the San Juan de Dios Square, —where Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro Ruz would deliver the commemorative speech for the fall in combat of Major Ignacio Agramonte. For the intellectual committed to defending the history and heritage of Cuba, this birthday was one of rejoicing.

Eusebio had entered the Camagüey soul. And he would return again and again for several months to instruct all of us, rulers and ruled, officials and subordinates, in love and care for local and regional, cultural and historical essences; and to work and cultivate the beauty that would make the work of restoration of our city great and more cultured and a better life for the land of Agramonte.

Photo taken on September 28th, 1985. On the left Héctor Rodg Garlobo, on the center the historian Eusebio Leal and on the far right Felix Caballero

Translated by: Aileen Álvarez García