If Colombus wanted to get to India so bad....?

Question

You would think that Europeans, and their American cousins, would be head over heels enamored with all things Indian: Indian music, Indian movies, Indian food, Indian whatever.

But they're not. India is a very under-rated culture.

What's up with that?

Answer 1

He was making money as a merchant selling spices.

He could care less about the people.  It was a merchant ship.

He was hardly old fashioned star treck.

He wanted something he could take back and sell.  He captured Indians and took them back.  They were brutal men who raped and tortured the population.  Be thankful he didn't make it to India.

Answer 2

At the time, India was incredibly rich, both in culture and resources.  The spices, in particular, were popular in a time before refrigeration.  There was also the wealth from China- silks, porcelain, gold.  India, however, was eventually taken over by Europeans, and then just the British.  We tend not to be very nice to the people we occupied, and India suffered both economically and in reputation.  It happened all over.  Look at Peru and Mexico, both centers of huge civilizations, and now poor backwaters.

Answer 3

Where do you live?, it will explain it

Answer 4

once he got there he saw what it was like and decided america was better

Answer 5

Well...that was over 600 years ago.  The Europeans really did want to get to Asia and India back in those days.  Spices, Tapestries, and Culture were interesting to Columbus in those days.  Then....he found the Americas...and there were rumors of gold, land, and other riches in the new land.  All of the intrigue of Asia fell away for a few hundred years.

Answer 6

...they just wanted the spices and gold and silk.

Answer 7

He actually wanted to get to the area of the Indies, the spice islands in southern asia.  Other europeans had managed that trick going around africa and he just had a different idea.

Fortunately, we got tomatoes, corn (maize) and chocolate out of it.

Answer 8

Huh?  Columbus wanted to get to the Indies, which is NOT India, but the Islands, where spices grew.