Final answer:
Teotihuacan most likely sought to secure trade relationships and to exert political influence over the lowland Maya, using economic, diplomatic, and military strategies to protect and expand its interests.
Step-by-step explanation:
Teotihuacan was a powerful cultural and economic center in Mesoamerica that exerted influence over various regions, including the Maya lowlands. Trade was a critical aspect of Teotihuacan's interaction with the Maya city-states. Through trade, Teotihuacan not only disseminated their goods such as obsidian tools, ceramics, and artwork, but also extended their cultural, religious, and political reach.
The military intervention in the Maya city of Tikal in 378 suggests that Teotihuacan also had strategic and political interests in the Maya territories. Additionally, the use of diplomacy and the transfer of symbolic goods like iridescent quetzal feathers imply that Teotihuacan sought to establish and maintain a dominant social and political presence in the region.
Therefore, from the lowland Maya, Teotihuacan most likely wanted to secure a sustained economic relationship to facilitate trade, as well as to exert political influence and possibly control over the region to protect and expand its interests.