c. AD 1000 – 1500 (Ritual Economy): The exchange of guaízas (small shell masks) functioned as a form of “costly giving” that helped solidify social and political alliances between distant Caribbean communities.

c. AD 1000 – 1500 (Ritual Economy): The exchange of guaízas (small shell masks) functioned as a form of “costly giving” that helped solidify social and political alliances between distant Caribbean communities. Researcher A.A.A. Mol argues that these objects were organic components of a regional network that balanced local diversity with broader connectivity. Found across both the Greater and Lesser Antilles, these masks acted as physical tokens of shared social value and prestige, helping to maintain cultural cohesion across the maritime landscape through the circulation of highly valued symbolic items.