2026-07-072026-07-07http://salesiana.dossiersoluciones.com/handle/123456789/60775The main goal of the paper is to present a new approach via Hurwitz numbers to Kontsevich's combinatorial/matrix model for the intersection theory of the moduli space of curves. A secondary goal is to present an exposition of the circle of ideas involved: Hurwitz numbers, Gromov-Witten theory of the projective line, matrix integrals, and the theory of random trees. Further topics will be treated in a sequel.Latex, 107 pages, 9 figures, updated versionAlgebraic GeometryHigh Energy Physics - TheoryMathematical PhysicsCombinatoricsGromov-Witten theory, Hurwitz numbers, and Matrix models, Itext