After the release of Mateo solo bien se lame, his first solo album in 1972, and his work with Trasante in 1976, Mateo faced one of the most challenging periods of his life. At that time, he had not yet established himself in the new wave of Uruguayan popular music, and many of his peers had gone into exile. In October 1977, he lost his job as a musician at the Panamericano restaurant. With no resources, he began sleeping on friends' couches or in pensions he could not afford, selling his belongings, and wandering until he was arrested by the police for drug possession during the dictatorship, ultimately living on handouts. On February 26, 1978, he was imprisoned for "forgery of private documents" after being found with prescriptions for psychotropic drugs, spending several weeks in jail. After his release, he stayed with his friend Eduardo Lockhart and continued composing. In the following years, he performed in small venues and presented his own series of shows: Recitales Mateo and El tango según Mateo.