Reino Aventura ("Adventure Kingdom" in
Spanish) was an
amusement park
An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, as well as other events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central ...
located in
Tlalpan
Tlalpan ( nci, Tlālpan, , place on the earth, ) is a borough (''demarcación territorial'') in Mexico City. It is the largest borough, with over eighty percent under conservation as forest and other ecologically sensitive area. The rest, almost ...
in the south-western part of
Mexico City
Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley of ...
. It opened to the public in March 1982 as the biggest amusement park in
Latin America
Latin America or
* french: Amérique Latine, link=no
* ht, Amerik Latin, link=no
* pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived ...
.
History
The park was closed to the public during part of 1992 while it underwent major reconstruction and improvements.
Keiko, the
orca
The orca or killer whale (''Orcinus orca'') is a toothed whale belonging to the oceanic dolphin family, of which it is the largest member. It is the only extant species in the genus '' Orcinus'' and is recognizable by its black-and-white ...
that would later play the lead role in the motion picture ''
Free Willy'', was purchased from
Marineland of Canada
Marineland (official name Marineland of Canada Inc.), is a themed zoo and amusement park in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada. The park has performing marine animal shows, sea mammal and land animal exhibits, and amusement rides. It keeps dolphin ...
in
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...
,
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tota ...
, and was one of the new attractions aimed to improve the park. On July 3, 1992, the park was reopened to the public under the new name El Nuevo Reino Aventura ("The New Adventure Kingdom"). In 1995, the park changed management and the name was also changed back to the original Reino Aventura. Shortly thereafter, Keiko left the amusement park to be rehabilitated and eventually released into the wild. Thousands of people gathered at the amusement park to say goodbye to Keiko, who was airlifted by
UPS to his new home at the
Oregon Coast Aquarium in
Newport, Oregon
Newport is a city in Lincoln County, Oregon, United States. It was incorporated in 1882, though the name dates back to the establishment of a post office in 1868. Newport was named for Newport, Rhode Island. As of the 2010 census, the city had ...
,
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...
on January 7, 1996, ending an era for the amusement park.
Sale to Six Flags
In March 1999, Premier Parks, the
holding company
A holding company is a company whose primary business is holding a controlling interest in the securities of other companies. A holding company usually does not produce goods or services itself. Its purpose is to own shares of other companies ...
for all the
Six Flags
Six Flags Entertainment Corporation is an American amusement park corporation, headquartered in Arlington, Texas. It has properties in Canada, Mexico, and the United States. Six Flags owns the most theme parks and waterparks combined of any amu ...
theme parks, announced the purchase of Reino Aventura for an estimated $59 million. The park then underwent a major reconstruction, which cost approximately $40 million and was reopened to the public on April 14, 2000, as
Six Flags México
Six Flags México is a amusement park located in the Tlalpan forest and borough, on the southern edge of Mexico City, Mexico. It is owned and operated by Six Flags, and is the most visited theme park in Latin America with 2.8 million annual visi ...
.
See also
*
Six Flags México
Six Flags México is a amusement park located in the Tlalpan forest and borough, on the southern edge of Mexico City, Mexico. It is owned and operated by Six Flags, and is the most visited theme park in Latin America with 2.8 million annual visi ...
{{Coord , 19.295, -99.209, scale:5000, display=title
Amusement parks in Mexico City
Defunct amusement parks
Event venues established in 1982
Mexican companies established in 1982
Amusement parks opened in 1982