Contreras received his primary education at Placido Jimenez's school, where he studied drawing.

Such was his success that at 14 years, his classmates and teachers supported him to continue his studies at the National School of Fine Arts in Mexico City.

[1] Due to the support he received from the government of Porfirio Diaz, he was able to work on various monuments, including twenty bronze sculptures on the Paseo de la Reforma in Mexico City.

With support from the government of Aguascalientes, Contreras founded the Fundición Artística Mexicana,[1] where some of the sculptures on Paseo de la Reforma were created.

A homage by the Government of Guanajuato City was held in January 2016 to celebrate the 150 year anniversary of Contreras' birth.