c. AD 1000 – 1500 (Theory): The concept of “esoteric interaction” is used to explain the presence of Greater Antillean icons, such as small portable shell masks and cemí stones, in Late…

c. AD 1000 – 1500 (Theory): The concept of “esoteric interaction” is used to explain the presence of Greater Antillean icons, such as small portable shell masks and cemí stones, in Late Ceramic Age sites throughout the northern Lesser Antilles. This interaction suggests that local communities were being integrated into a shared ideological and sociopolitical sphere originating from polities in Puerto Rico and Ayiti. This expansion of influence often disrupted local lines of cultural development, replacing them with more centralized and dependent social structures. Keegan and Hofman emphasize that this process of regional integration created a “kaleidoscopic” cultural landscape where local identities were continuously renegotiated.