A civilization that flourished in Peru 1000–200 bc. The culture was based on the ceremonial centre of Chavín de Huantar, high in the Andes 280 km (175 miles) north of Lima and spread for hundreds of miles along the Peruvian coast. United more by religion than politics, the Chavín people’s most characteristic artefacts are figures, presumably gods, with jaguar fangs projecting from their lips. Notable advances made by the Chavín included improved maize, the back-strap loom, and metallurgy. As Chavín religious authority waned, regional groups appeared that dominated Peru for the next thousand years.