Neither Tidus nor Jecht have heard of summoners before. and yet, when the fayth explains about the war, he says that Zanarkand used the summoners and bevelle used the machana.
what do you think.
Both Jecht and Tidus had met Summoners by the time the fayth talked to them. In their first day in Spira Tidus and Jecht might have been curious but after Jecht met Braska and after Tidus met Yuna (and Valefor) why would they be surprised with a city of Summoners ?