Five hun­dred years of Ryukyuan his­to­ry (12th-17th cen­tu­ry) are rep­re­sent­ed by this group of sites and mon­u­ments. The ruins of the cas­tles, on impos­ing ele­vat­ed sites, are evi­dence for the social struc­ture over much of that peri­od, while the sacred sites pro­vide mute tes­ti­mo­ny to the rare sur­vival of an ancient form of reli­gion into the mod­ern age. The wide- rang­ing eco­nom­ic and cul­tur­al con­tacts of the Ryukyu Islands over that peri­od gave rise to a unique cul­ture.