The "Three Centuries" mural was conceived as a triptych designed to be read from bottom to top. The first section addresses the founding of the city of Chihuahua, depicting it through the colonization of lands for the capital of Nueva Vizcaya. In this segment, we find pictograms from pre-Hispanic cultures that evolve into the geometric fretwork of the Paquimé culture, forming a serpent that guides the viewer across the entire mural; in the background, mining and cattle ranching—key drivers of the nascent city's development—are framed by the Old Aqueduct, where the *mestizaje* (cultural and racial blending) is symbolized by a hybrid of wheat and corn. In the foreground, a Spanish knight stands tall, dominating the scene above flames that signify Spanish oppression during the colonial era.
The knight's powerful lance rises and transforms into a torch held in the fist of Miguel Hidalgo—a light symbolizing independence—set against the ideological backdrop of the Standard of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Beside him, the Chihuahua Cathedral represents the historical significance of the Catholic religion.
The flame held by the "Father of the Nation" connects to the section depicting the Mexican Revolution, symbolized by an eagle in full ascent; its wings are propelled by revolutionary guerrillas on one side, while simultaneously sheltering those same figures, who are represented here as a colossal giant.
