Latin American Novels

I am in search of some novels, set in Latin America (Mexico, Central America, South America), which do NOT contain magical realism. Any suggestions?

I guess you still want an element of history, since you're posting in this group?

A few that I've read recently:

The death of Artemio Cruz by Carlos Fuentes — it has a bit of funny dream-stuff and non-linear narrative, but it's basically a straight social-realist novel about Mexican history seen through the eyes of someone who got his start in life in the revolution.

Juan Gabriel Vasquez has written several very interesting novels about recent Colombian history, like The shape of the ruins and The sound of things falling.

Patria o muerte by Alberto Barrera Tyszka is a novel about the last days of Hugo Chavez (seems to be Spanish only)

Una vez Argentina by Andrés Neuman — growing up in Argentina at the time of the Junta (also Spanish only)

I've read some of Julia Alvarez novels and really liked them. Saving the World and In the Time of Butterflies. She spent her childhood in the Dominican Republic until her family had to flee.

Luiz Alfredo Garcia-Rosa has written a mystery series with Inspector Espinosa set in Brazil. I think there are 6 or 7 books.

Thank you all! I will check these out!

Try Serenade by James M. Cain. It spends a lot of time in Mexico. Very noir.

One Day of Life by Manlio Arguenta, which takes place in El Salvador, is very good, though I'm not sure it has enough of the historical fiction aspect you're looking for.

Seconding thorold's mention of Juan Gabriel Vasquez, I very much enjoyed Vasquez's novel, The Informers.

Thank you all for your suggestions. I will peruse the books here on LT and their reviews and see if I can find some non-magical realism Latin American literature.

Facundo by Domingo Faustino Sarmiento, 1845, Argentina.
The Underdogs by Mariano Azuela, 1916, Mexico, 150 pages.
Magical realism started around 1935 with early Borges.