In 1958, Colombian artist Alejandro Obregón completed a triptych mural entitled Tierra, Mar y Aire (Earth, Sea, and Wind) on the façade of the Mezhari building, located in the corner of 53 Carrera and 76th Street in the city of Barranquilla, Colombia. Today, the mural is in a very delicate state and in desperate need of being restored, since parts of the mural have already begun to fall, thus compromising the chromatic patterns and the legibility of the forms. One of the most recognized Colombian artists to this day, Obregón was commissioned to create the mural by Samuel Mezhari-father of the current owner and resident of the building, Mair Mezhari-Tourgemen-when the artist was at the midpoint of his artistic career. Samuel Mezhari's family were Jewish immigrants who reached the piers of Puerto Colombia in 1900 and were received with the hospitality that characterizes the people from Barranquilla. Mezhari senior decided to find a way to convey the gratitude he felt toward the town. So when he learned of the completion of the building-designed by architect Samuel Pance-he jumped at the opportunity and commissioned the mural to Obregón as a gesture of gratitude toward the town. Obregón was paid 15,000.00 pesos to complete the project-a very acceptable amount at the time-although, according to him, it was not money what convinced him to accept the project, but the prospect of creating a mural in that space. It took Obregón around a year to finish the mural, as he chose an extremely delicate and time-consuming approach that required a large number of steps and a complex process. Mosaic, an artistic technique that dates as far back as to the Byzantine Empire, is an approach or style of construction in which hundreds of thousands of enameled ceramic pieces-tesserae-of various colors are group together to shape the desired composition. But before even beginning to glue the tesserae, one must create a sketch or layout on which to place the ceramic pieces. For this particular project Tierra, Mar y Aire, Obregón would glue the pieces-from a brand named Cristanac, bought at a factory in Medellin-on several papers, each measuring 30 × 30 cm (11.8 × 11.8 in) and then he would glue these sections on the wall of the building. It was a meticulous process that required a lot of time and a perfectionist disposition. When the project was finally completed, Tierra, Mar y Aire covered the entire height of the three-storey building wall. The surface of the work measures 9 × 6 m (29.52 × 19.68 ft.). Obregón utilized intense colors and symbols that pay tribute to the majestic tropical nature of the area. Above all, because of its public nature, this mural is extremely important for the cultural patrimony of Barranquilla and also of Colombia, as it can be freely appreciated by the public at any moment. Nonetheless, it is precisely this attribute-its exposure to the public and, therefore, also to the elements-its main problem. The mural has been subjected to the elements for over 52 years and, as a result, the work has lost many tesserae. Because this material is so old, it is no longer manufactured and is impossible to find. The conservation and restoration efforts are very complicated, in part because government organizations have not shown much interest in resolving the issue. For his part, Mezhari cannot touch the work since it is part of the city¿s cultural heritage-something that also does not offer many alternatives. To this day, no restoration project to save this work by master Obregón has been put in effect.