Comanchero

The Comancheros were a group of 18^th- and 19^th-century traders based in northern and central New Mexico. They made their living by trading with the nomadic Great Plains Indian tribes in northeastern New Mexico, West Texas, and other parts of the southern plains of North America. The name "Comancheros" comes from the Comanche tribe, in whose territory they traded. They traded manufactured goods (tools and cloth), flour, tobacco, and bread for hides, livestock, and slaves from the Comanche. As the Comancheros did not have regular access to weapons and gunpowder, disagreement exists about how much they traded these with the Comanche.