The American Academy of Arts and Sciences is a non-governmental organization dedicated to the teaching and advancement of knowledge which, since its establishment in 1780, has chosen more than 13 thousand honorary members, all of them with exceptional achievements in the world of art, business, government and public affairs. Some of its most illustrious members include Benjamin Franklin in 1781, Charles Darwin in 1874, Albert Einstein in 1924 and Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1966.

According to the Academy’s website, some 200 members have been selected to join the ranks of the entity in 2019. Leal is part of a group of 42 international members coming from more than 20 countries. The Havana historian’s membership will be official at a ceremony scheduled for October in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in the USA.

This designation is added to the multiple recognitions that Leal has received throughout his work life. In September, 2018, he was presented with the Hadrian Award by the World Monuments Fund, an important institution aimed at rescuing world heritage, due to his heroic efforts to preserve and restore Old. Months later he was given the title of Honorary Associate of the Royal Institute of British Architects –RIBA-, a professional architect’s organization in Britain.