Llotja

Llotja (Eastern Catalan: [ˈʎɔdʒə], plural llotjes); in Aragonese: loncha; in Spanish: lonja; is a Catalan term for important buildings used for commercial purposes during the Middle Ages and Early Modern Ages.

Loggia and lodge are cognates.

Many were used during the Medieval Ages for fishing and livestock markets or by brokers who used to make intermediaries.

[citation needed] The Casa de Contratación de Indias centralized all of trade of the Americas with Spain from 1503 to 1790, including all types of products.

Its headquarters were:

The Llotja de Mar
The Llotja de Sant Jordi
The Llotja de la Seda, Valencia
The Llotja de Castelló d'Empúries