What were Aztec long-distance professional merchants called?

Aztec long-distance professional merchants were called pochteca. The singular form is pochtecatl, while pochteca refers to the merchant group. These traders traveled far beyond their home markets to obtain luxury goods, raw materials, food, feathers, textiles, and other products that circulated through the Aztec world.

Pochteca were not ordinary market sellers. They belonged to organized merchant communities and guilds, often based in major urban centers of the Valley of Mexico. Their work included long-distance trade, market intermediation, and the management of commercial activity. Because their journeys took them through foreign territories, they also gathered information about roads, resources, political conditions, and military defenses.

Some pochteca acted as spies for the state or for powerful patrons, sometimes disguising themselves while traveling. Their social position was unusual: they could become extremely wealthy and held substantial influence, yet they ranked below the hereditary nobility and were expected to display restraint about their riches. Their patron deity was Yacatecuhtli, associated with journeys and commerce.