What specifically were the spanish after during the age of exploration?

The Spanish were specifically after a Western sea route to India (or the Spice Islands) after the Portuguese found the Eastern sea route there. After Vespucci discovered that Columbus found a new continent, the Spanish set out in search of gold. By defeating the Aztecs and Incas, the Spanish grew quite wealthy for a while until their domestic economy and currency fell victim to inflation because of all the gold.