Final answer:
Christopher Columbus set sail in the 1400s to reach the Indies and trade spices.
Step-by-step explanation:
Christopher Columbus set sail in the 1400s because he wanted to reach the Indies to trade spices. At that time, spices were highly valuable and in great demand in Europe. Columbus believed that by finding a new route to the Indies, he could bypass the existing land routes controlled by the Ottoman Empire and establish a direct trade route with Asia.
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