Pochteca

Pochteca (singular pochtecatl) were professional, long-distance traveling merchants in the Aztec Empire.

They were responsible for providing the materials that the Aztec nobility used to display their wealth, which were often obtained from foreign sources.

The pochteca also acted as agents for the nobility, selling the surplus tribute that had been bestowed on the noble and warrior elite and also sourcing rare goods or luxury items.

[3] Due to the success of the pochteca, many of these merchants became as wealthy as the noble class, but were obligated to hide this wealth from the public.

Trading expeditions often left their districts late in the evening, and their wealth was only revealed within their private guildhalls.

[12] Apart from the merchant's designated roles, there were also hierarchies and special pochteca with specific alliances, with military and/or nobility.