FOLLOW THE CONNECTIONS

One Aha.
A whole universe.

Every story sits inside a network of places, ideas, forces and human problems. Start with Mission San Xavier del Bac and follow whichever thread makes you curious.

7STORIES

5IDEAS

22BRIDGES

Deep TimeSTRONGEST THREAD

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Mission San Xavier del Bac

Mission San Xavier del Bac (Spanish: La Misión de San Xavier del Bac) is a historic Spanish Catholic mission about 10 miles (16 km) south of downtown Tucson, Arizona, on the Tohono O'odham Nation San Xavier Indian Reservation.

ERA

Deep Time

How the past remains visible inside present-day places and systems.

DESIGN

Architecture

How form, material, climate and culture become physical space.

IDEA

Engineering

How people make structures, machines and systems do difficult things.

NATURE

Living Systems

How organisms and landscapes create surprising systems at scale.

FORCE

Water

How water shapes settlements, architecture, survival and movement.

01 · DESIGN CONNECTION

Chand Baori

Why does an ancient well contain thousands of perfect steps?

Mission San Xavier del Bac and Chand Baori both reveal architecture and water in action, but at a different place, era or scale.Follow this Aha →02 · SAME ENGINEERING PROBLEM

Howrah Bridge

How can a giant bridge hold together without nuts and bolts?

Mission San Xavier del Bac and Howrah Bridge both reveal engineering and city in action, but at a different place, era or scale.Follow this Aha →03 · CITY SYSTEMS

Jaipur

Why was Jaipur planned as a grid centuries ago?

Mission San Xavier del Bac and Jaipur both reveal city and architecture in action, but at a different place, era or scale.Follow this Aha →04 · DESIGN CONNECTION

Petra

How did a desert city survive sudden floods?

Mission San Xavier del Bac and Petra both reveal architecture and water in action, but at a different place, era or scale.Follow this Aha →05 · NATURAL SYSTEMS

Lake Baikal

How can one lake hold a fifth of Earth’s unfrozen fresh water?

Mission San Xavier del Bac and Lake Baikal both reveal nature and water in action, but at a different place, era or scale.Follow this Aha →06 · MOVEMENT & INFRASTRUCTURE

New York City Subway

Why are some subway lines numbers and others letters?

Mission San Xavier del Bac and New York City Subway both reveal transport and city in action, but at a different place, era or scale.Follow this Aha →

GUIDED CURIOSITY TRAILS

Choose how you want to wonder.

Each trail is a short sequence of connected AhAs. There is no right order—only a reason for the next click.

TRAIL 01

Same problem, different answer

See how different places solve similar constraints with completely different materials, systems and ideas.

TRAIL 02

Follow it through time

Jump between ancient and modern answers to the same human needs.

TRAIL 03

Change the scale

Move from one object or place to a city, ecosystem or planetary system and watch the pattern repeat.