Born on March 26, 1922, in the Trastalleres neighbourhood of San Juan, her father, Eduviges Espinosa, was a bricklayer and poet, and her mother, Isolina Torres, was a housewife.

[1] Espinosa attended the University of Puerto Rico (UPR) for her undergraduate degree in Drama, graduating in 1949, having been taught by Leopoldo Santiago Lavandero,[2][1] and Ludwig Schajowicz.

[5] In 1958 she directed Los soles truncos (The Half-Suns), written by René Marques at the First Puerto Rican Theatre Festival.

[2] The Federico García Lorca Casa Natal Museum awarded Espinosa their highest accolade, the Pozo de Plata, in 2000.

[7] Espinosa and her husband featured in the documentary series Crónicas 90, which highlighted the achievements of Puerto Ricans who had reached the age of 90.

Other people featured in the series included: Frank H. Wadsworth, José R. Alicea, Iluminado Dávila, Nellie Vera Sánchez and Flavia Lugo de Marichal.

[12] In 2024 the Puerto Rican festival La Campechada was dedicated to Espinosa, and featured performances across Santurce inspired by guiding themes of her life, such as gender and theatre.