Major elements of this book have a non-chronological relationship to time. Time is fluid, and events that occurred at different points in time collapse in on one another. Events are frequently narrated out of order, and those attempting to keep a close eye on precisely the time often fail.

Within individual chapters, the most significant events are usually established early or narrated first, ranking them in order of importance rather than in chronological order. To stack the text in order of importance is to create an unstable relationship between time and memory. For example, in the chapter dedicated largely to the marital disagreement between Fernanda and Aureliano Segundo, the first event narrated is the long-term rainstorm. Instead of narrating the chapter chronologically—first the argument, then the rain, then the cessation of rain—events are narrated in descending order of importance. This effect can be disorienting, as past, present, and future intertwine.

Both the character Melquíades and his workshop appear to exist apart from time. After Melquíades dies, his workshop does not age or decay, like the body of a saint. José Arcadio Segundo and the little Aureliano describe their perception of time in the workshop as though "it was always March there and always Monday" (348).