Havana, December 18 (RHC)--The first secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba, Raúl Castro, and President Miguel Díaz-Canel paid tribute on Friday to the historian of Havana, Eusebio Leal, who died last July 31.

The leaders -along with Prime Minister Manuel Marrero and the head of the Parliament, Esteban Lazo- made the last guard of honor before the urn that keeps the ashes of the architect of the restoration of Old Havana, during the funeral honors held in the Hall of the Lost Steps of the National Capitol Building.

On Thursday, on behalf of all Cubans, Havana residents paid tribute to the historian, whose work, according to the president of the Casa de las Americas, Abel Prieto, went beyond ruined buildings to become palaces.

In his Eulogy, the President of Casa de las Americas highlighted Leal's exemplary honesty and passionate devotion to the country, its history, symbols, and heroes, as well as his confrontation with marginality and moral impoverishment to turn Havana's communities into the protagonists of the transformation he promoted.

Prieto stressed that, for the person who received numerous decorations from governments and international organizations, the most appreciated of all was always the love of his people, who approached him in the street as a friend or relative and trusted in him profoundly.

Prieto described him as a tireless worker, whose work, ideas, and example are a legacy for the new generations.

From this day the remains of Eusebio Leal rest in the convent of San Francisco de Asís, in Old Havana.