I'm writing this on a computer. Likely, you're reading it on a computer. I have an ice cold glass of soda, and a bag of Party Mix. I have the TV turned on, but the sound turned way down. It's 46° outside right now, but my thermostat thermometer reads 70°. I'm fifty feet from my bathroom, which has a tub and a shower. The point is this: I'm using electricity, in a very solid structure, and I have access to all the food and water I want. And all of that makes living in the harsh Sonora Desert around Tucson pretty easy. But it hasn't always been that way. In fact, it's only been that way for the very smallest portion of the period this area has been inhabited, some 10,000 – 12,000 years.

Before there was running water, electricity and so on, it was tough to live here. The arid climate, the dangerous creatures, and the lack of food all conjoined to make even just survival here quite taxing. But some people not only survived, they thrived. They pushed the limits to improve the area. Father Eusebio Francisco Kino was one of those rare people. When his accomplishments are reviewed, the fact that he always had to deal with surviving must be taken into account.

The impact Father Kino had on Tucson and the Sonora Desert regions cannot be adequately conveyed in this brief missive. He is, as a rule, most remembered for his 'discovery' of California, and his exquisite, highly detailed maps.

Eusebio Francisco Kino - Timeline of His Life

August 10, 1645 – born Eusebio Francisco Kino, in Segno, Italy, the only son of Francesco Chini and Margherita Lucchi.

1660 leaves the family farm he'd help maintain in Moncou, Italy when it was sold.

Kino registered at the college of Hall near Innsbruck, Austria, in the program of rhetoric and logic where he contracted an unidentified illness that brought him close to death. He vowed that if his patron, St. Francis Xavier, would intercede for his recovery, he would enter the Society of Jesus.

1664 – Kino moves to Freiburg.

1667 – pronounced his first vows at novitiate in Landsberg.

1667 – Eusebio begins intensive studies in philosophy, mathematics, geography, and cartography at Ingolstadt. He accepts a position as moderator for a mathematics group of students concentrating in astronomy. For that group. he designed and implemented the conversion of one of the university towers into a small astronomical observatory.

April 1669 – Kino's minor orders were conferred in. Kino petitioned for an assignment in the Americas or China on four separate occasions.

June 12, 1677 – Eusebio Francisco Kino is Ordained a priest in Eistady, Austria.

March, 1678 – after six petitions, Kino finally receives notice that he was being assigned to the missions of the Spanish empire. Kino traveled to Munich. He paid his travel expenses with the money he earned for the sale of his handmade scientific instruments. Along with eighteen other Jesuit priests, Kino left Italy headed for Spain. In Spain he taught mathematics at the Jesuit colleges located in Seville and Puerto Santa Maria. This continued during the period the priests awaited proper passage to America. Kino not only taught, but also learned Spanish and Portuguese. During this period he also, again, started building scientific instruments that he intended to use in the missions of America.

1681 – This was the third and final year that Kino and other Jesuits spent in Seville. That winter, a comet appears and the Jesuits used their own instruments to do some testing. Later they would use the data to speculate as to the scientific nature of the comet.

May 3, 1681 – Kino finally departs for Cadiz to gain passage aboard a small ship carrying mail to the Americas. The ship, which was part of an armada, later arrived in Veracruz, Mexico. Upon arrival in Veracruz, Kino went to Mexico City where he was immediately assigned to aid the Governor of Sinaloa and the Californias, Atondo. Atondo had planned an expedition to Baja California and he required the skills of the priests. Kino was appointed rector of the mission and Royal Cartographer for the Californias.

1682 – He publishes his book of astronomical observations entitled Exposicion Astronomica in Mexico. This book publishing brings him notoriety.

April 1683 – Kino arrived at the Bay of La Paz, aboard the frigate Almiranta. He learns the Indian language, and starts reaching out to the natives of the area. His Jesuit job was to make friends with the Indians using the necessities of a better lifestyle, and then teach them the ways of western civilization, and, of course, the Christian doctrine. He was also assigned the task of drawing new maps for the military. Following a military action with the natives, the local Spanish venture was terminated. A new site was established at San Bruno in October. As the Royal Cartographer, Kino initiated the mapping of the new area. He also continued his process of befriending natives, now in the San Bruno area.

August 15, 1684 – Kino takes his final Society of Jesus vows and is a Jesuit.

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