In Aztec times the tamemes—bearers—would wait at the edge of the markets on the edge of Tenochtitlan, looking for customers.

There were no beasts of burden to carry loads in pre-Hispanic Mexico and humans were the best and only option. Several transport revolutions later, this occupation still exists in the iconic markets of Mexico City’s historical center such as Tepito and the Merced. Though the mecapal—a headband used for tying loads to one’s back—has been changed for a metal dolly called a d…