[4][3] Governor Luis Muñoz Marín named Alegría the first director of the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture in the late 1950s.

[2] Alegría established the Center of Popular Arts, the Institute of Puerto Rican book publishing division.

[7] Caribbean Business points out that, "His extensive studies have helped historians understand how the Taínos lived and suffered, before and after the Spanish conquistadors arrived on the island.

[2] In 1993, President Bill Clinton presented Alegría with the Charles Frankel Prize of the National Endowment for the Humanities for contributions to the field of archaeology.

[2] In 2002, the Puerto Rican Governor Sila Calderónpresented the Luis Muñoz Marín Medal to Alegríain recognition of his life achievements.

[2] Alegría received recognition and honorary degrees from cultural and architectural organizations in Peru, Venezuela, Mexico, and the Dominican Republic.

In 2011, the Museo de las Américas host a special exhibit, "Richard Alegría: An Intimate Look", featuring photographs by Chendo Pérez.

[9] Nobel laureate Mario Vargas Llosa was inspired by Alegría and included a fictional character based on him, named Ricardo Santurce, in the play El loco de los balcones.