It would be that they provide ritual obligations that need to be followed.
One problem is by trading by sea, ships are bring invaise sea creatures to other countries and can harm the wild life for other marine ecosystems and for tons of people.
The Spanish would most likely try to recruit allies to defeat the armies of the Aztecs since the Spanish were bent on defeating the Aztecs and conquering Mexico. This would have been a strategy to create hegemony over this part of the New World.
The best place with the right church for you.
It means to "be nice to everyone, however, if they don't listen, show them your military power" literally.
I meant that if the easy way doesn't work, then use the hard way
hope this helps