Africans had a much more advantageous position than the Aztecs when it came to their dealings with Europeans, but both groups ended up in the same position, as subordinates to the Europeans.
There was strong trade on a fairly level field with the western coast of Africa by the mid fifteenth century. The time honored tradition of raiding and trading had to be abandoned by Europeans and replaced by peaceful regulated trading because of the European's inability to dominate the costal waterways with force. This turned out to not be a great hindrance due to the well established preexisting system of commerce within the continent. Europeans could tap into this system without the added cost of warfare. Africans were able to force Europeans into this relatively fair trading with their very impressive naval prowess. Although, Africans were rarely able to completely overtake a large high walled sea going vessel with their short sided low slung boats, but they could keep them from docking, trading, or raiding. By doing this, Africans could enforce customs and other duties. King Afonso I of the Kongo actually seized a French ship and its crew for trading illegally on his coast in 1525 (Thornton 38, 39). Africans' ability to protect their coast from raiding forced Europe to look at them more as equals and treat them as such for an extended period of time. .
The same cannot be said for the Aztec's first experiences with Cortes and his fellow conquistadors. The Aztec seat of power, Tenochtitlan, and its forces did not lie on the coast or on a major navigable waterway used for commerce. They had no reason to because their major concerns were not from people arriving by boat. By the time of Cortes' landing the Aztecs ruled over several million people and could claim land from the Pacific Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico south from modern central Mexico to modern Guatemala. They were at the height of their power when the Spanish set foot on their land in 1519.
