One thing I would add, though it's more of a strategy for the PCs: They are the invisible hand against the quite visible hand. Things that slip by one player may be caught by another, and things that slip by them mey be caught by one of their independent contractors. Anything that slips by Cortez is probably just gone.
The players can use this to their advantage. Instead of staging raids that would hurt the slave labor, they can just frustrate, annoy, and irritate Cortez. If he can't get a full night's sleep, and has to wonder when his hair will stop being orange, he may forget to secure resources, or make sure he has enough lumber, etc.
Conveniently, all players have a natural talent for being annoying and derailing plans. They just have to use their powers for good!
