Final answer:
Around 1000 BCE, Chavin de Huántar became an important religious site in the pre-Columbian Americas. This Andean site was a center for the Chavín culture and its widespread influence on religion and craftsmanship. Therefore, the correct option is C. Chavin de Huántar.
Step-by-step explanation:
Around 1000 BCE, the town that became an important religious site was C. Chavin de Huántar. This site gained prominence due to its significant role as a religious or ceremonial center in the Andes region of pre-Columbian America. Although it wasn’t a large population center, the influence of Chavín culture and religious practices spread widely through trade, warfare, or both, eventually overshadowing other regional styles and customs. Craftsmanship in textiles and metalworking, particularly in gold, silver, and copper, also flourished as a part of this influence, with these goods being traded throughout the region.
The Olmec civilization, an earlier culture located in the Gulf Coast of Mexico, developed around 1500 BCE and also had significant religious influence. However, their largest site, La Venta, was erected around 900 BCE, slightly later than the timeframe specified in the question. The Olmec were foundational to later Mesoamerican cultures due to their religious, political, and trade innovations.
Other notable pre-Columbian sites and cultures such as Teotihuacán and the Olmec, while significant, either came into prominence outside the time frame in question or were not primarily known as religious sites at the time specified, around 1000 BCE.