Fellowship of the Rings: Agents of Long‐Distance Trade in the Mesoamerican Mercantile System, a.d. 900–1350

Abstract Mesoamerican trade networks reached their greatest extent and intensity from the tenth century a.d. onwards. Several agents, institutions, and mechanisms stimulated this supraregional system, among which the role of specialized merchants engaged in long-distance trade proved especially significant. Nevertheless, while the pan‐Mesoamerican distribution of some exotic goods is evidence of the scope of interactions at this time, the individuals behind the transactions are rarely perceived. This research presents, for the first time as a coherent set, a series of copper finger rings displaying anthropomorphic figures found in west Mexico over several decades. In line with proposals regarding metal effigy rings recorded in the Maya region (Bray 1977; Paris 2025; Paris et al. 2023), it suggests that these personal ornaments served as emblems of specialized merchants engaged in macroregional trade, denoting the unique roles they performed. Given the geographical extent reached by such diagnostic artifacts—which allows us to trace these presumed commercial agents across many regions—, this article suggests that west Mexico’s anthropomorphic finger rings reflect the economic relationships and commercial logistics of the mercantile system of the Early and Middle Postclassic (ca. a.d. 900–1350). This evidence demonstrates the region’s active involvement in long-distance communication and exchange during that period.