Tisquantum, also called Squanto, was a participant of the Patuxet community and is most remembered for serving as the first intermediary between the Native American inhabitants of Southern New England as well as the Mayflower Pilgrims, who settled close to Tisquantum's old summer town. The Patuxet community formerly thrived on the western shore of Cape Cod Bay, and they were driven off by an illness introduced by European settlers.
Thomas Hunt, an English adventurer, abducted Tisquantum and took him to Spain when he auctioned him in Málaga. He was one of the numerous prisoners purchased by local monks to educate and evangelize them. Tisquantum finally made his way to England in 1616–1617, when he might have encountered Pocahontas, a Native American from Virginia. Tisquantum was one of the last Patuxent and started living with the Wampanoags when he arrived in America in 1619 to his original town, only to discover that his community had been driven out by an infectious sickness.
In 1620, the Mayflower arrived in Cape Cod Bay, and Tisquantum sought to bring the Pilgrims and the indigenous Pokanokets together in harmony. He was essential in the early March 1621 discussions, mainly because he knew English. He subsequently spent 20 months with the Pilgrims as a translator, adviser, and counselor. He educated the immigrants on the fur industry and showed them ways to plant and fertilize local plants, which was crucial given the Pilgrims' failure rate with the crops they carried from England.
As food shortages increased, Governor William Bradford of the Plymouth Colony enlisted Tisquantum's assistance in guiding a ship of colonists on a trade mission around Cape Cod and across treacherous shoals. Tisquantum had 'Indian sickness' on that journey, according to Bradford. Bradford remained with him for many weeks till he died, describing it as a 'huge loss' to him.