Columbus and other early explorers searched for a direct all-water route to asia because they hoped to gain easier access to highly valued asian goods the map "european voyages of discovery" depicts the 1497-1499 journey around africa by which of the following? de gama prince henry the navigator of portugal was noted for improving and codifying navigational knowledge in order to find a route to asia when columbus landed in america, the chief reason that he thought he had landed in "the indies" was his firm belief that he had sailed far enough westward to reach them by the treaty of tordesillas (1494) spain had authority to exploit all of north and south america except brazil your textbook describes spain's american empire as trying to implant spanish civilization and introduce christianity but also committing unprovoked aggression in the 1670's thousands of pueblo rebelled to drive the spanish from new mexico