The key motif is the image of José María Morelos y Pavón, who in 1810 joined Miguel Hidalgo's independence movement and in 1813 convened and installed the Chilpancingo Congress. Before this assembly the "Sentiments of the Nation" were presented, a document in which Morelos set aside his authority and declared himself "servant of the nation." In addition, the document established, among other propositions, independence, a republican regime, the prohibition of slavery, and equality for all citizens. In 1814, the Congress finished its work and promulgated the Constitution of Apatzingán, Mexico's first constitution. The image of Morelos is accompanied by an illustration comprised of two cannons one on top of the other, the standard used by Morelos's forces, as well as a bow and arrow with the word "SUD."

The key visual feature is the aqueduct of the city of Morelia, Michoacán, constructed by Bishop Manuel Escalante Columbres in the eighteenth century—a construction which has become an icon of the city. Three monarch butterflies appear in front of it. To the left side of the aqueduct is a representation of the pre-Hispanic symbol of the state of Michoacán (Mechuaca, which means "those of the land of fish," taken from the codex telleriano remensis).