In this chapter, I explore the political behavior entailed by long-distance ties between early complex societies. I propose that it is productive to explore the evolution of early Mesoamerican societies from a core/periphery perspective, distinct from the World-systems approach (Wallerstein, 1974) from which it is derived. I then present a discussion of inter-regional interaction inspired by Mauss's (1990) original formulation of the long-term meaning of gift giving and Malinowski's (1922, 1935) classic Trobriand ethnography that defined kula exchange. My goal is to explore the behaviors that are implied when archaeologists document the trade of objects and sharing of ideas over long distances. Mary Helms's (1979, 1993a) model for the local political salience of knowledge acquired from distant sources is reviewed, and the commonly documented quest for arcane knowledge is discussed. I argue that any study of exchange should give weight both to the movement of material goods and the ideas that accompany them. The movement of potentially prestigious ideas and concepts (or those that are desirable in some way) over long distances I call a “knowledge kula.” As such, ideas/concepts can move across long distances and be exchanged between elites, and they can remain tied to specific individuals or particular places.