The archaeology of the Tuamotu Islands in central East Polynesia mainly derives from studies of ritual architecture. Since the pioneering works of Kenneth P. Emory in the 1930s, around 650 marae have been recorded in the archipelago. Surface inventories show that the basic architectural features of marae were organised in a diversity of patterns, which reflect the complex histories of local communities. To investigate the variability of these monuments, a taxonomic classification of these marae sites was developed, the first geographically extensive analysis of its kind. Relying on archaeological and ethnohistorical evidence, in addition to oral traditions, an attempt is made here to explain the development of these sites, considering endogenous socio-political processes, ritual innovations and external influences.