The Aztec Empire was a flourishing Mesoamerican nomadic tribe between 1345 and 1521 C.E. The Aztecs were highly accomplished in agriculture and trade. Part of the reason for their success was the formation of an elite group of long-distance traders called the Pochteca.

In 1490, a pochteca guild located hundreds of miles from the Aztec capital was surrounded by hostile forces. The traders engaged in a four-year battle against several tribes. The Aztec military was sent out to rescue the merchants but only met up with them on the road where they were carrying goods from the tribes they fought against.

They were brought before Emperor Auitzotl who awarded them a special insignia. The head pochteca accepted the accolades and claimed they were 'captains and soldiers who go out to conquer.'

The Pochteca were professional merchants and traders who brought luxury and exotic items from faraway lands to the empire's capital and city-states. They played a vital role in the Aztec Empire's commerce and growth. They also had a secret political function-they worked as spies for the empire. They gathered information on states and neighbors that wasn't under the empire's control.

The ancient spies were a particular guild of regional-based merchants who brought exotic goods to the other Mesoamerican areas. They kept their routes, foreign goods sources, and connections a secret to the people outside the guild.

The traders held power on foreign commerce. They often brought cloth, embroidered clothing, and fine jewelry to faraway lands. The pochteca brought back rare items such as seashells, jade, amber, and cacao back to central Mexico.

Their trading routes allowed them to interact with regional merchants who acted as the middleman within the wide network. Their functions also allowed them to hold a special status in the Aztec Empire. They had a higher status than the non-nobles.

The pochteca also had different classes. The Pochteca Teucnehnenqueh held the highest rank among the traders. They traded on behalf of the nobility. The Naualoztomeca were considered the disguised pochteca who learned several languages and customs and acted as spies of the destination countries. The Tealtianime was responsible for bringing back captives as a human sacrifice in Aztec rituals. The Iyahqueh manned depots and waystations along the trade routes and acted as supporting links in the networks.

The elite traders held special rituals and ceremonies honoring their god, Yacatecuhtli-the patron of commerce. They carried out lavish feasts and rituals for their patron. However, the merchants were not allowed to display their massive wealth in public.

To keep the secrets strictly within the guild, the merchants married among themselves. Male children were sent to elite schools where they studied alongside the children of minor nobles. They were also allowed to inherit the coveted professions. The pochteca were also trained in combat to fend off possible attacks from marauders.

The Spanish Conquest brought an end to the elite guild's rise to power. By the time the Spanish soldiers conquered the empire, the pochteca had held a lot of influence in society that their daughters were being married off to nobles. According to a chronicle, a merchant's daughter known as "the Lady of Tula" married the last king of the Texcoco kingdom. She was deemed poetically gifted and often gave points to the king and the kingdom's men. A passage claims the king had built a palace for her and was 'very much under her domination.'

Want to read more? Check these out: