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 Aztec public markets were centers of commerce and daily life throughout the empire, as well as in the capital city of Tenochtitlan. Royal tribute and long-distance trade networks supplied markets with finished products and raw materials.
Artisans and Craftspeople
Using raw materials such as wood, clay, stone, feathers, and gold, thousands of artisans created a wide range of consumer goods—from common household items to exquisite luxury objects.
Within Tenochtitlan, groups of artisans formed their own professional guilds and lived in their own neighborhoods. Fine craftsmen had their own patron deity, Quetzalcoatl, [ket-zal-coe-AHT]—the "Feathered Serpent" creator god—to whom they credited the invention of luxury goods and offered religious sacrifices.
Merchants and Traders
Fueling the bustling Aztec economy were three classes of merchants, who served customers from all levels of society:
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Farmers and artisans, at the lowest level, sold or bartered homegrown foods and handmade wares.
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Regional merchants called the tlanecuilo [tla-nay-KWEE-low], at the middle level, dealt in everyday foodstuffs and common household items.
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Pochteca [poach-TAY-kah], at the top of the merchants’ social pyramid, undertook long-distance trading expeditions and sold luxury items, such as greenstone, gold, feathers, shell, and high-quality cotton cloth.
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Merchants also had their protector and patron deity—Yacatecuhtli [ya-ka-tay-KOOT-lee] or "Nose Lord," considered to be a guiding star. Yacatecuhtli was so important to the pochtecas of Tenochtitlan that they dedicated a temple in his honor.
Continue through Artisans & Merchants: Science of Trading. >>
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