Several of the short stories collected in Fuentes' first book, Los Dias Enmascarados (The Masked Days) of 1954, are direct antecedents to Where the Air Is Clear. Many of the stories in the 1954 work are accessible in English in Burnt Water (1980). These short stories introduce the theme of entrance by the ancient gods of the Aztec and Maya into contemporary society to protest material culture.

In what was dubbed the 'last novel of the Mexican revolution,' Fuentes intended to create a character who could embody Mexico. The Death of Artemio Cruz (1962) resulted from the effort. In this novel, Cruz lies on his deathbed as his legacy is created. Supposedly, Cruz was a good, ideal, and true revolutionary but in all honesty he was corrupt, a capitalist, and selfish. Considered Fuentes' finest novel, the work cynically views the aftermath of the...