The current Mission Church, finished in 1797, is over two centuries old. Time has taken a toll on the buildings, statues, and wall paintings of this beautiful parish church, which requires regular maintenance and restoration. A National Historic Landmark, San Xavier Mission was founded as a Catholic mission by Father Eusebio Kino in 1692. The oldest intact European structure in Arizona, the church's interior is filled with marvelous original statuary and mural paintings. It is a place where visitors can truly step back in time and enter an authentic 18th Century space.

​The Desert Oasis Initiative is focused on restoration of water harvesting know-how evolved over 4,000 years to create North America's first documented farming site. The sprawling, desert city of Tucson, the University of Arizona, and the Native American Nations have embraced a Florentine proposal headed by ITKI Director Pietro Laureano to create an artificial oasis near downtown Tucson. The oasis is to be made using water collection strategies the indigenous Hohokam people developed over 3000 years ago, and serve as a beacon of sustainable practices for re-greening the desert.