What was the name of the large Aztec market in Tenochtitlan?

The large Aztec market in Tenochtitlan was called Tlatelolco. More precisely, the famous market stood in Tlatelolco, Tenochtitlan’s neighboring sister city on the island in Lake Texcoco, and became the principal marketplace serving both urban communities.

Tlatelolco was founded in 1337 by Mexica who separated from the group that established Tenochtitlan. Its convenient position beside lakes and canals helped make it a major commercial center. Traders brought food, clothing, tools, luxury goods, animals, and materials from across the Valley of Mexico and farther regions of Mesoamerica.

Spanish observers were astonished by the market’s size, organization, and variety. Hernán Cortés reported that roughly 60,000 buyers and sellers could gather there daily, while other accounts give lower estimates for ordinary days. The market was not simply an unregulated bazaar: officials and courts helped supervise trade and settle disputes. A common mix-up is calling it the “Tenochtitlan market,” but Tlatelolco was a distinct city that was later absorbed politically by Tenochtitlan.