The street, which is understood upwards, is a continuation of the road, which descends into the medieval city. Rua dos Mercadores was, along with the streets of Bainharia and Escura, one of the vital circulation routes of Medieval Port, linking the mercantile center located in the Ribeira to the episcopal borough and ensuring the communication with the main routes that leave Porto towards Between Douro and Minho and Trás-os-Montes. Crossing the area outside the Primitive Wall, from the vicinity of the Sant'Ana Gate to the Ribeira Square, near the Douro River, the Rua dos Mercadores has been referred to since 1309, when it is designated as the "run per huvam a Ribeira." It is mentioned again in a letter from D. Fernando dated December 16, 1374, by which the monarch ordered the nobles and prelates of the kingdom not to seek retirement (i.e., lodging), neither in the Street of Merchants nor in the monasteries and inns of the city. The express reference to Rua dos Mercadores is a clear sign of the fact that this is one of the richest streets in the city where the most inviting houses were concentrated.