Native American man who helped Mayflower pilgrims settling in America was secretly sold into slavery

A Native American man who helped Mayflower pilgrims settling in America was secretly sold into slavery, a stunning new discovery has suggested. Crumbling documents discovered in a Spanish archive have revealed that Squanto, a Native American figure credited with helping the Pilgrim Fathers survive their first years in America, was secretly sold into slavery in the port of Malaga. The documents reveal that the Native American was sold as a slave in 1614, seven years before he met the colonists who would go on to found the Plymouth Colony. The documents, unearthed in the Provincial Historical Archive in Malaga, appear to record the sale of 25 indigenous Americans by an English merchant to a Spanish monk. TRENDING Stories Videos Your Say The transaction took place despite slavery of Native Americans being prohibited under Spanish law at the time. Described as one of the most significant historical discoveries relating to the story of the Mayflower and the founding of America, this finding is the first primary evidence of Squanto's presence in Europe. The documents were first discovered around 15 years ago by Purificación Ruiz Garcia, a retired archivist from Velez-Malaga, who came across them whilst researching Spain's 17th-century expulsion of Muslim converts to Christianity. She described the handwriting as extremely difficult to decipher, with the documents themselves being completely ruined. MORE TO FOLLOW... LATEST DEVELOPMENTS Trojan War hero Odysseus's sanctuary found on Greek island in 'most significant' discovery in years World's 'oldest octopus' thought to be 300 million years old is stripped of its title Warship sunk by Admiral Nelson's fleet over 200 years ago found alongside long lost relics Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter

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