c.

c. AD 900 – 1500: During the later stages of pre-Columbian history, the introduction and cultivation of yams significantly impacted indigenous agricultural practices and social organization. In some Pacific island contexts, the storage of yams in specialized sheds became a visible marker of a leader’s ability to accumulate and redistribute surplus. While there is no direct archaeological evidence for yam sheds in the Caribbean, the labor required for mounded agriculture suggests a high degree of social coordination. This agricultural intensification likely supported the growth of more populous and complex chiefdoms throughout the Greater Antilles. The symbolic and economic importance of specific root crops helped shape the political landscape that Europeans eventually encountered.