The Trans-Saharan trade routes connected the Mediterranean coast with the West African savannah. Utilizing the notable cartography as source material, Rosales embodies these routes through a seven-headed serpent, making duel use of its mythological context as both the symbol of fear and transformation; mirroring the complexities of exploitation and exchange that marked the rise of the African Slave Trade. With eyes fixated on a golden sphere, the figure in red represents an African King who sold his people for personal profit. The remaining three bearded figures enrobed in bright textiles – strategically placed in positions of safety and power – depict the integration of Eastern ideas, religions, and customs within the culture of West Africa, while the subjects in white remain tangled.