It becomes quite important to gather together all the texts written by Marta Traba in the several countries she lived. By the time Marta Traba (1930–1983) moved to San Juan, Puerto Rico, she had already lived in Bogota, New York, Paris, and Buenos Aires. From August 1970 until the summer of 1971, she taught classes on Latin American art, the theory of art history (201), the history of modern art (213), and other subjects at the Department of Fine Arts of the Universidad de Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras campus. In the summer of 1971, she offered a course in aesthetics as well. At the end of the summer term, however, the university did not renew her contract. While she was living in Puerto Rico, Marta Traba wrote articles for newspapers and magazines, as well as books in which she formulated her position on Puerto Rican art. As evidenced by this open letter from Puerto Rican artist, Rafael Rivera García, her view was widely questioned and criticized by members of the art community.
The Biennial de San Juan del Grabado Latinoamericano was one of the most important events held in the Caribbean region, given that it fostered an exchange of ideas and contact among different artists. The first of these biennials was organized by the Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña [Institute of Puerto Rican Culture] (ICP) in 1970. Printmaking was selected because it was a form of expression that was widely practiced by Puerto Rican artists, who were producing very high quality work. In 1986, “y del Caribe” [and Caribbean] was added to the name of the biennial so it could include that geographic area in the event. Parallel to this change, the biennial included two exhibitions to recognize artists’ work: one to honor a Puerto Rican artist and the other to honor a foreign artist.