Teotihuacan was the center of a large and influential trade network, making it an economic powerhouse in the ancient Americas. The leaders and merchants of Teotihuacan exchanged raw materials and finished goods with societies as far away as the Gulf Coast of Mexico and the Guatemalan highlands. The network created by this trade helped to establish diplomatic ties with peoples throughout Mesoamerica.
Ethnic Neighborhoods and Trade
As Teotihuacan exported materials to other communities, merchants and foreign goods flooded into the city. Traders and craftspeople who came from outside Teotihuacan lived and worked in their own areas of the city�establishing ethnic neighborhoods.
Archaeologists studying those areas in Teotihuacan find dishes and ritual objects that are nearly identical to those found in other areas of Mesoamerica. As in today's modern cities, it appears that Teotihuacan's ethnic groups lived together and shared arts and foods unique to their homelands.
Specialization
In a city like Teotihuacan, where thousands of people lived together under the organization of a government, people specialized in a limited set of craft-making tasks. This division of labor, in which people performed specific jobs, made production more efficient.
Craftspeople and laborers were among the specialized groups in Teotihuacan. Some artists made their living creating fine stone and shell jewelry, statues, and other religious items. But the artists rarely, if ever, used these objects themselves. Such luxury items were created for use by the wealthy, upper class. The inequality in who owned luxury goods tells us that there was stratification�marked class differences�in Teotihuacan's society.
The goods produced by these artisans created new markets and improved the city's economy. But just as the government depended on specialized goods to boost the economy, craftspeople depended on
