Discover the Truth About Denver’s Airport

One of the most notable airports in the US is in Denver. This isn’t only because it’s a central hub for international travel. The airport has many conspiracy theories that have held firm since it was first opened, if not during construction. Learning the whole truth about Denver’s airport can take a lot of time.

If you want a summary or an idea of where to start searching through the numerous conspiracy theories, continue reading below.

The Many Conspiracy Theories Surrounding Denver’s International Airport

There aren’t just one or two theories circling the airport. Almost every part of DIA (Denver International Airport) seems to have some theory associated with it.

The New World Order Built the Airport

One of the main theories is that the New World Order paid for the airport’s building. For those that don’t know, the New World Order is a group of global elitists who have power over the world and their international affairs, or so it’s theorized.

DIA Is Home to the Illuminati Headquarters

Another theory is that under the airport is a whole secret headquarters. There are a few theories for what has made a home in the headquarters, but one of them is that the airport is the home to the Illuminati.

Some Artwork Hints at the Apocalypse

There is art inside the Denver International Airport by an artist known as Leo Tanguma. At first glance, his giant murals look creepy and dark. They show signs of hope burning down into chaos and death. The leading theory is that these depictions are a prediction of the apocalypse. There are also some theories that the depictions are promises from the New World Order or Illuminati about their plans for the area surrounding the airport.

This also ties back to the theories that the New World Order is planning a mass wipe-out of people and most of the rest of the earth. The airport is meant to be a safe haven for them during this mass extinction.

One of the seeds of this theory is the bird in the first mural, a Quetzal. This bird is often used to symbolize extinction. In his other mural, there are symbols of children fighting against evil, but then it comes back and destroys society in the future. There’s no doubt that there are some seriously dark themes in Tanguma’s art, and many theorists believe it’s a prediction or promise of the future.

The Airport is Cursed

There are a few reasons why conspiracy theorists believe the airport is cursed. The first is because of the first use of the baggage system. In 1995, Denver’s airport revealed a state-of-the-art automatic baggage system.

However, it went haywire, launching bags everywhere and even shredding some luggage. This led people to believe that the baggage claim was cursed or came from the depths of hell itself. Even though it only happened once, it didn’t stop people from feeling the airport was cursed.

Then, another situation happened that solidified the idea for many. Denver commissioned a horse statue from an artist known as Luis Jimenez. The piece was commissioned before the airport even opened in 1992. Despite that, the airport didn’t get the finished project until 2008.

The airport received the finished piece two years after it killed the creator by falling on him and severing an artery in his leg. His family members finished it after his death and finally turned in the completed work.

When the airport displayed the art, it was nicknamed “Blucifer” by the locals and was thought to be cursed. Not only had the horse killed off its creator, but it didn’t look very good. The horse had bright, glowing red eyes and was a deep blue. Who wouldn’t think the horse was cursed?

The Government Has Aliens Under the Airport

A lot of the focus for the conspiracy theories is on the underground tunnels. When contractors were fired, they’d mention something about all the open underground tunnels they came across while doing work that no one was allowed into.

This quickly led to rumors, such as the tunnels being a base for the Illuminati or the New World Order. Another theory is that the tunnels act as second Area 52. They think it’s a place where the government is hiding and experimenting with aliens.

Secret Planes and Escape Routes For the Rich

Another theorized use for the underground tunnels is that they hide secret planes. Some conspiracy theorists say that the purpose of these small, secret planes is to act as escape routes for the rich when they need to leave the area quickly.

Lizard People Live in Tunnels Under the Airport

The final theory is that lizard people use the tunnels. There have been several pictures, though somewhat blurry, that show what many think are lizard people.

Evidence to Support These Theories

As the theories grow and evolve, more and more evidence throughout the airport is used to support them. These are the more common parts of the airport used to support major conspiracy theories.

The Underground Tunnels

Many theories focus on the underground tunnels and for a good reason. According to the airport, there are underground tunnels. However, they don’t have any secrets. Instead, they are there to help the workers get around the airport. There are thousands of workers across the airport, so having ways to move between locations, get luggage moved around, and get somewhere fast without fighting through travelers is very important.

Though this explanation makes a lot of sense, many people don’t buy it. While some tunnels might be used for such purposes, even deeper tunnels might be in the airport, or some may be set aside for one purpose.

This one is somewhat hard to prove. Even if someone toured the tunnels and passageways, it’s easy enough to say that they missed some rooms or that there was a secondary level they didn’t cover. And as long as other information points to their theories and images of lizard people in the airport keep circling, there will always be some doubt that these tunnels are as innocent as the airport claims they are.

The Cost of the Airport

One of the biggest reasons the theories started was because of the airport’s building. When it finished, it cost much more than was originally planned. People didn’t quite understand why the costs were so high, so they made theories, such as underground tunnels, government secrets, or even Illuminati headquarters.

The airport was meant to cost around $1.5 billion. However, by the end, the total cost was an extreme $5.6 billion. A huge part of this was because DIA went through dozens of contractors. People and companies were fired at various times throughout the construction. This meant new bids had to be made, and the construction paused as the project changed hands.

Why were so many contractors fired? The information was never publicly released. This could be simply because DIA didn’t want to get into issues with libel for complaining about companies. However, many people believe it’s something more nefarious. After all, what’s the best way to ensure no one knows the full scope of what’s inside the airport? You have different groups work on different sections. Then, they never get to see the full scope of the work.

It Was an Unneeded Airport

Another reason for all the theories is that Denver already had an airport when building DIA. It opened in 1930 and ran for 65 years. There are several reasons for this, including noise complaints.

However, there wasn’t a real need to build a brand-new airport, especially not one as expensive and large as the DIA. It led people to speculate that the airport was a cover for something far more secretive and nefarious.

Then, the theories went wild when the airport took longer to build due to many contractors being fired during different construction phases and cost much more than it was supposed to.

Leo Tanguma’s Murals

Leo Tanguma’s murals are often pointed to when discussing conspiracy theories. It’s certainly understandable. These murals appear to tell a dark story, especially when you look at them individually. There are depictions of war and fighting, as well as gas masks.

One of the main reasons this one appears so sinister is that it’s meant to be read from right-to-left instead of the more common left-to-right in the US. This means that when you first look at it, you go from a happy and cheerful story to one of destruction and death.

However, if you see these pieces of work together in the sequence they’re meant to be read in, it’s a story of hope. The mural is intended to show the story of hope and environmental stewardship that will come following hard times of pollution and war.

Blucifer

Despite its creepy appearance and the artist’s death, the horse has a touching story. The glowing red eyes come from the son’s memories of his father when he owned a neon sign shop. Meanwhile, the blue color represents the horse the artist used as a reference, a blue Mustang.

The horse represents memories of the artist from the rest of his family that finished the art. Though creepy-looking for those who don’t know the story, it’s nothing more than a touching monument.

New World Airport Commission Sign

The sign at the airport’s south entrance has led to the theory about the New World Order. It’s dated March 19th, 1994, and has a time capsule underneath it.

However, what sparked the theories was the symbol on the sign and the dedication. The marker claims that the airport was funded by “The New World Airport Commission.” There is, and has never been, a group under this name that publicly exists.

So why does it say the airport was funded by a group that doesn’t exist? Many conspiracy theorists believe it’s because it is another name for the New World Order. The symbol on the marker also supports that theory. It’s the Freemason symbol: a square and a compass. Or, as some people believe, the symbol belongs to the Illuminati, pretending to be Freemasons.

If it were also an Illuminati symbol, that would support another theory; that Illuminati headquarters are under the airport. That symbol would mark that they were there for anyone in the group.

According to DIA, the symbol has a pretty straightforward explanation. They say that the Freemasons made the plaque, which explains the symbol. Also, when the airport was being built, it was a new international airport or a new airport that allowed access to the world.

The New World Airport Commission is also considered a nod to the New World Symphony, named by Charles Ansbacher. A group came together to play for the celebrations for the airport’s opening, which dubbed themselves the “New World Airport Commission,” according to some who went to the ceremonies.

For some, the explanation is weak at best. But it’s up to everyone to decide whether they believe these facts.

Inscriptions on the Floor

Throughout the airport, some words and symbols inscribed on the floor may seem strange to the average person. Some are strange symbols, while others are words in a foreign and strange language. For a good chunk of the people who use the airport, these words aren’t from any language they’ve seen before.

This has led people to believe they were an alien language or some ancient language used by secret groups.

This is one easily disproved. The words are actually from the Navajo language. Most of them are names given by the Navajo people for the nearby areas, such as white mountain, for the mountains usually covered in snow nearby, Tallow River, now known as South Platte River, and the names of some sacred mountains in the area for them.

There is also a little design on the floor of a mine cart with the letters “Au” and “Ag.” If you’ve ever taken chemistry, you might know that these letters symbolize silver and gold on the periodic table. When in a mine cart, the symbol is pretty obvious to most.

After all, Colorado was once (and still is, in some areas) a hotspot for mining, especially of gold and silver. Sounds simple, right? However, some conspiracy theorists believe that “AuAg” is short for the Australian Antigen and has something to do with a virus that will wipe out most of the humans in the world.

Even if the New World Order were creating a pathogen to wipe out humanity, it wouldn’t be an antigen, which is used to help people and not hurt them. Additionally, the Australian Antigen is a real thing. It’s an antigen found in Australian Aboriginals to fight against hepatitis B. It’s not exactly something to be terrified of.

People Connect Dots That Shouldn’t Be Connected

People also tend to look for signs and behaviors to support their theories. If they already believe in Freemasons and the New World Order, it’s easy to connect the dots where a strange symbol or unknown group can support their theories. The fact that it’s hard to disprove as well only helps them.

What Caused All These Theories?

There are probably a few reasons why these theories are so prevalent.

One reason for all the theories is that Denver already had an airport when building DIA. However, the city decided to go ahead and create an international airport. They went above and beyond in terms of cost and time to make the airport. This dedication to a pretty unneeded airport led to a lot of speculation.

The Airport Embraces the Many Theories

During the airport’s renovations in 2023, it embraced many conspiracy theories. When parts of the building had to be shut down or closed off, the company didn’t simply put up signs apologizing for the inconvenience or mess.

Instead, they put up signs referencing some of the many conspiracy theories people spouted. Hints were pointing to the Illuminati, lizard people, and secret tunnels.

One sign says, “Cool new areas to hang out, or area 52.” Another offers a multiple-choice challenge. “What’s happening behind this wall? A) Gargoyle breeding grounds, B) A top secret Freemason meeting, or C) An improved airport experience?”

If the airport is still under construction when you visit, it’s worth walking through the area to see what signs you can find. Don’t worry if you missed them; there are plenty of pictures online about the signs.

Though construction started in 2018, the airport has openly embraced the conspiracy theories since 2016. They’ve had art exhibits centered around some of the theories and even hosted events based on some of the more fun ones.

The Truth of Denver’s Airport

Denver has claimed that nothing is exciting about the airport. Unfortunately, there will never be a way to tell if that’s true or not.

It is worth mentioning that many of the theories above have pretty simple and relatively understandable explanations. People have taken fairly innocuous signs and symbols and have blown them up to epic proportions.

Even if some of the theories are true, there are now so many theories about Denver’s airport that it’s hard to determine what’s true and what’s not.

The photo featured at the top of this post is © Joseph Sohm/Shutterstock.com