c.

c. AD 1000 – 1500 (Political Economy): The production and distribution of guanín (a gold-copper-silver alloy) was a cornerstone of the prestige economy in the Greater Antilles. Unlike the Spanish, who valued gold for its purity and weight, indigenous leaders valued guanín for its unique “brilliance” and its distinctive smell, which was associated with spiritual power. These ornaments were often traded over vast distances, from the South American mainland through the Lesser Antilles to the great chiefdoms of Hispaniola and Puerto Rico. The circulation of these items helped to maintain a “Galactic Polity” structure, where distant sub-chiefs were linked to central paramount leaders through the sharing of these sacred, high-status materials.