She later moved to the capital of the Dominican Republic, where she earned her Doctorate in Humanities at the Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo.
She pursued her post-graduate studies at École du Louvre in Paris, and majored in museology and theory of fine arts.
Aside from Aída Cartagena Portalatín being a part of this revolutionary movement, some of the other founding members were Franklin Mieses Burgos, Antonio Fernández, Alberto Baeza Flores, Domingo Moreno Jiménez and Mariano Lebrón Saviñón.
Her work was philosophical as well as historical, reflecting a broad worldview, that encompassed themes such as feminism, colonialism, imperialism, as well as current events contemporary to her times.
Her many trips to Europe, Latin America and Africa gave her the first-hand experiences that later turned into fuel and inspiration to write her literary pieces.
In another poem, she refers to the racial politics of the United States through a consideration of a Dominican mother: "de su vientre nacieron siete hijos/ que serían en Dallas, Memphis o Birmingham un problema racial / (ni blancos ni negros)" ("from her womb were born seven children / who would in Dallas, Memphis or Birmingham be a racial problem / (neither white nor black)") (p. 207, Obra poética completa: 1955–1984) Cartagena Portalatín was a finalist in the prestigious Premio Seix Barral international literary award competition in Barcelona for her novel Escalera para Electra (1969).