The recording sessions and release of the album took place during a grim moment in Argentine history: a coup d'état in March 1976 installed a military dictatorship known as the National Reorganization Process in the country, inaugurating an era of state terrorism.

El jardín de los presentes marked a stylistic change in the band's sound, incorporating elements of jazz and tango.

The inclusion of the 18-year-old guitarist Tomás Gubitsch, trained in jazz music, was also vital in this artistic progression;[2] however, it created tensions in the group, causing their eventual separation.

The album was presented with two multitudinous concerts at the Estadio Luna Park in August and September 1976, with an amount of attendants unusual at that time, indicating a peak in commercial success for the band[4] El jardín de los presentes is considered one of the highest creative apexes in Spinetta's career.

[6] The song "Ruido de magia" is prominently sampled in "Dis Generation" by A Tribe Called Quest, off their final album We Got It from Here...