Would the Chavín Culture Have Been More Influential on the Coast?

Unlikely. The Chavín culture (c. 900–200 BCE) flourished in the highlands (Chavín de Huántar, 3,177 m). Its worldview, architecture, and iconography were shaped by:

• Mountain cosmology (apus, water sources)
• Highland agriculture (potato, quinoa, llama/alpaca)
• Control of inter-zonal trade routes (coast–highland–jungle)

Coastal societies (e.g., Cupisnique, later Moche) had distinct maritime adaptations. Chavín's influence spread via religious/artistic diffusion, not demographic expansion. A coastal origin would have produced a fundamentally different culture.