At the start of the publication, Nuttall outlines her scholarly journey, beginning with her initial study of ancient Mexican manuscripts, which unexpectedly led her to broader comparative research of Old World and New World civilizations. She discusses how her investigations revealed striking similarities in the cosmological concepts held by various ancient cultures, particularly emphasizing the connection to pole-star worship and the foundational principles of societal organization rooted in astronomical observations. By establishing a dialogue between the cosmological ideas of the ancient Mexicans and those of cultures in the Old World, Nuttall lays the groundwork for an in-depth exploration of how these interconnected beliefs shaped the civilizations in both hemispheres. (This is an automatically generated summary.)