Pre-Columbian rafts voyaged as far as Mexico and introduced metallurgy to the civilizations of that country. Some scholars and adventurers of the 20th and 21st century have asserted that the rafts and their crews journeyed thousands of miles across the Pacific to Polynesia, most notably Thor Heyerdahl who reached Polynesia on the Kon-Tiki raft. Several other people and groups have also built rafts based on prehistoric models and undertaken trans-Pacific voyages. Balsa is the Spanish word for raft. The use of rafts for commerce on the coasts of Peru and Ecuador, from northern Chile to southern Colombia, continued until the late 19th
Kon-Tiki Theatre Kon-Tiki Theatre The Kon-Tiki Theatre was a Polynesian-themed cinema operating in Trotwood, Ohio, United States, a suburb of Dayton, Ohio, between 1968 and 1999. The unique building was a landmark along Salem Avenue for decades before being demolished in 2005 to make room for a medical facility. The Kon Tiki was originally owned and operated by the Levin family. On May 13, 1987, the owners leased it to USA Cinemas who renamed it Salem Avenue Cinemas. USA Cinemas was later acquired by the Loews chain, which changed the name to Loews Salem Ave. It was built as a single auditorium.