Before departing for distant lands, a young Pochteca -Mexican trader- had to go through a deeply symbolic moment: the farewell ceremony. This ritual not only marked the beginning of a physical journey, but also the beginning of a process of spiritual transformation. Here we share a Spanish version of the speech addressed to the young traveler, based on the Nahuatl texts compiled by Sahagún’s indigenous informants and translated by Dr. Garibay.
The auspicious day
Everything began with waiting for the right sign of the divinatory calendar. The chosen one was Ce Coatl or 1-Culebra, symbol of roads and veins, of vital trajectories for the person as well as for the community. On that day, the young pochteca, prepared to become “old in his departure”, sat in front of his elders. Then, the old merchants would receive him with words full of affection, advice and wisdom.
The voice of the elderly
“Here you are, my little son, my boy, my boy, my boy, big boy… You have gathered your fathers, mothers, dealers, travelers. Here you are contemplating them, looking at them from milestone to milestone…”
Thus began a long exhortation, in which the elders shared with the young man not only the experience accumulated in previous generations, but also a call to integrity and honor.
“You are in sorrow: you are leaving your city, your home in Tlatelolco, you are leaving Tenochtitlan. You are leaving your home, your place of life, the place where you lay your neck. Soon you will see plains and immense lands…”
The young man had to accept, with fortitude, that he was about to be separated from everything familiar. The road was hard, uncertain, full of trials that would test his body and spirit.
Hunger, fatigue and adversity
The wise men made no secret of the dangers of the journey. Rather, they prepared for them:
“You will have to eat hard, moldy tortillas, sour tamales… you will drink bitter, dirty water. You will encounter tumultuous rivers, tremendous waters that sweep away trees. You will feel anguish with an empty stomach…”
“You will be worn out by fatigue, sunburned by the sun, beaten by the wind. Your face will be like dirt, sprinkled with dust…”
The speech included a clear warning: it could fail. He might not find buyers, or place his products. He might have to sleep on a hilltop or at the entrance to a ravine. He could die on the way, or return alive. No one knew.
The value of experience
But beyond the suffering, there was the dignity of the trade, the heritage of the ancestors:
“Your ancestors did not consider their heads and chests precious. By their efforts, they achieved the lordship of commerce. By their way, they gained dominion and rule…”
“Now it is up to you to find the way, the destination. Even if there is pain and fatigue, give your whole being to the effort: do not turn back, do not look back. With your effort, our Lord – the Owner of the Universe – will assign you something…”
A spiritual legacy
At the end of the speech, the young man is blessed with words of strength, as if it were a consecration:
“It may be that once again your fathers, your mothers, your relatives will see your face. You shall eat, you shall drink with what we strengthen you today. We, your mothers and your fathers, raise you up and give you this exhortation.”
“What do you think, my son? Go in peace! Leave your aunts, your uncles. The road is your destiny.”
Conclusion
This ceremonial text reveals that, for the Mexica, trade was not only an economic activity: it was a sacred act, a form of pilgrimage, a test of character. The young Pochteca would leave the family nucleus to travel difficult paths, just as a warrior would go into battle. And in doing so, he became part of one of the most important institutions of the Tenochca social and economic system.
In the Mexica cosmovision, each path had its spiritual charge. This journey not only carried products to distant lands: it also carried the memory, the culture and the heart of the Mexica people.
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