c.

c. AD 1200 – 1500 (Theory): The concept of “Cultural Drift” is applied to the Caribbean to explain the subtle stylistic divergence in pottery and tool types across the archipelago. Keegan and Hofman suggest that as communities became more sedentary and focused on local island resources, the frequent interaction that characterized the Early Ceramic Age began to slow in certain regions. This isolation allowed for the development of distinct local “micro-styles,” such as those found in Jamaica or the western Bahamas. However, this drift was periodically countered by the continued exchange of high-status “social valuables,” which maintained a level of ideological unity across the “Taíno” world.