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The Bizarre Mysteries and Conspiracies of Denver International Airport

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The "devil blue horse" sculpture at Denver Airport. Photo by Eric Golub CC BY 2.0

Ever since the day it opened on February 28, 1995, after months of delay and after going way over the initial budget by an extra $2 billion, the Denver International Airport has raised enough suspicion and become a favorite airport among conspiracy theorists.

The airport’s bizarre reputation is due to a variety of strange airport art seen at its premises, dubious functionality of some of its expensive amenities, and rumors that there are underground “buried” facilities beneath.

There is also the sheer vastness of the airport. With its astonishing 35,000 acres, Denver Intl Airport is the largest the U.S. by area, though not the most frequented airport around.

Denver International Airport interior with travellers, shops and restaurants. The teflon-coated fiberglass roof is one of the major architectural features.
Denver International Airport interior with travellers, shops and restaurants. The teflon-coated fiberglass roof is one of the major architectural features.

What airport visitors can quickly notice over their layover periods is really the weird combination of artwork such as sculpture and murals. Add to that a strange selection of symbols and the runways which when seen from above have reminded some people of the heinous Nazi symbol–the swastika.

There probably aren’t too many airports in the world which have a creepy story of how their most prominent sculpture fell on its maker and caused him to die.

Denver International Airport by dusk.
Denver International Airport by dusk.

But that is exactly what happened when a large section from the 32-feet-tall, 9,000 pound horse sculpture called Blue Mustang, fell on its author Luis Jiménez in 2006 after which the man fatally succumbed to the injury. The fiberglass statue has been nicknamed the “devil horse” and “Blucifer” and features eerie, some say demonic, laser red eyes.

Blue Mustang, or “Blucifer”. Photo by Mike Sinko CC BY-SA 2.0
Blue Mustang, or “Blucifer”. Photo by Mike Sinko CC BY-SA 2.0

More creepiness radiates from the airport murals. One of them is called “In Peace and Harmony With Nature” and is supposed to tackle the issue of environmental degradation. One of its sister murals, by the same author Leo Tanguma, “Children of the World Dream of Peace” addresses yet another cause, that the world should settle for peace, not violence.

Denver International Airport mural. Photo by Donal Mountain CC By 2.0
Denver International Airport mural. Photo by Donal Mountain CC By 2.0

Had it not been for the strange imagery, the pieces would have probably not attracted much controversy. At least not until stumbling upon another spine-chilling artwork that contains a sinister-looking Nazi soldier, his face covered with a gas mask, carrying an automated weapon in one hand and a huge sharp saber pointed at a white pigeon in the other.

This unusual choice of art, some of which has already been removed, is just one segment that has fueled the public imagination to think something insidious is really being hidden there. Theories include both that underneath the airport there is a huge network that belongs to a secretive Nazi service or that this is the shelter for the President of the United States in case of an end-of-the-world scenario.

Denver International Airport Mural. Photo by VasenkaPhotography CC By 2.0
Denver International Airport Mural. Photo by VasenkaPhotography CC By 2.0

The presence of more ‘mysterious’ symbols around the airport has not eased the proliferation of such conspiracies either. In fact, the one insignia that people find most provoking can be spotted on the airport’s dedication stone itself.

The dedication stone includes the well-known Masonic square and compasses and the aligned text informs that the main sponsor of the airport was a mysterious organization dubbed the “New World Airport Commission.”

Denver airport dedication stone. Photo by F4ith.H0p3.Ch4r1ty CC BY-SA 4.0
Denver airport dedication stone. Photo by F4ith.H0p3.Ch4r1ty CC BY-SA 4.0

Besides the fact that the existence of such an organization has been questioned by conspiracists as well as other researchers, the intriguing association the name has with the notorious “New World Order” has also not been missed. Perhaps, that bit of mystery will be resolved only at the end of the century, in the distant year 2094, when a time capsule buried beneath the stone is scheduled to be opened.

Yet, probably the wildest airport theory says that when the airport was under construction, at least five huge buildings were built with huge inaccuracies. Instead of being disassembled or demolished those buildings were somehow buried underground. A whistleblowing construction worker who allegedly witnessed this development has also cited this as a major reason why the airport opening was delayed.

The Air Traffic Control Tower at Denver International Airport with a United Airlines Boeing 737-800 below. Photo by Bmurphy380 CC BY-SA 4.0
The Air Traffic Control Tower at Denver International Airport with a United Airlines Boeing 737-800 below. Photo by Bmurphy380 CC BY-SA 4.0

A more probable reason for the delay may have been the airport’s automated baggage system. The system in question reportedly cost a fortune but then was never actually used. Eventually, it was entirely abandoned, questioning whether its sky-high expense was really necessary, or maybe was just a decoy explanation for why tunnels were built at the airport.

About those tunnels, if we listen to conspiracists, they really lead to a huge underground shelter, the secretive seat of the U.S. government or even worse, the secretive seat of a global government whose intentions are up to no good.

Earlier in 2018, the Denver International Airport began refurbishing its Great Hall, and after years of silence, airport officials finally decided to answer the abundance of theories. Posters were placed on walls, which aimed to hide the refurbishing work, and asked: “What’s happening behind this wall?” To achieve an effect they also printed green alien figures on the posters.

Read another story from us: Mad conspiracy theories that turned out to be true

The airport has since also launched the Den Files page on their website which featured all the conspiracies in one place, including the one which says the airport accommodates the Illuminati headquarters. As they confirm, this can be assumed from the airport’s dedication stone date, that is March 19, 1994, “and if you add those numbers together (1+9+1+9+9+4) you get 33–the highest level one can achieve in Freemasonry, aka perfection.”

Stefan Andrews

Stefan is a freelance writer and a regular contributor to The Vintage News. He is a graduate in Literature. He also runs a blog – This City Knows.