The Maya and Aztec had nobles (priests and warriors), slaves, freemen and a separate group of merchants who were between the nobles and the ordinary people in importance. These merchants were called ppolm in Maya times, and pochteca in Aztec times, and their position was carried on from father to son in the same family line.
The merchants lived in their own part of the city, something like a posh suburb. They also formed their own guilds and had special rights.
