This Busy American Airport Has Some Bizarre Conspiracy Theories

Colorado boasts some of the best skiing spots in the U.S., and if you're coming from out of state, you'll probably be flying into the Denver International Airport. It's one of the world's busiest airports — though not quite as busy as Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport — but for those who are into conspiracy theories, the airport is a destination in and of itself.

The tall tales connected to Denver International Airport go back to when the airport was first being built in the early 1990s. The city already had an airport and the massive new replacement took longer to build than anticipated, cost $2 billion more than budgeted, and was located relatively far away from the city center — it's about 25 miles east of downtown. For some, all those things together pointed to it being built to hide something else — perhaps a top-secret government facility? A hiding place for extraterrestrials and lizard people? All have been floated as possibilities.

There's also a series of tunnels beneath the building, which were a part of an attempted, but failed, automated luggage delivery system. Those very real life tunnels seem to have spawned tales of a much larger set of passages, including one theory that the airport is connected underground to Cheyenne Mountain in Colorado Springs, which is home to a Cold War nuclear bunker. So, perhaps the tunnels lead to a safe hiding place for the world's elite to use during the apocalypse? Some people seem to think so.

Others think the artwork in and around Denver International Airport hides several seemingly sinister clues hinting at a larger conspiracy. The 32-foot-tall blue fiberglass horse statue by Luis Jiménez near the entrance to the airport is officially named "Mustang," but its nickname is "Blucifer." The demonic nickname comes in part from its glowing red eyes and also the sad fact that Jiménez was tragically killed by his statue — the horse was in three parts as he was working on it in his New Mexico studio when a piece fell on him and fatally cut an artery.

In the airport itself, artist Leo Tanguma was commissioned to create two murals, and the overall message of the two pieces — called "In Peace and Harmony with Nature" and "Children of the World Dream of Peace" — is one of the hope for harmony and calm after war and environmental devastation. However, the conspiracy-minded focus more on the elements of death and destruction in the paintings, like the soldier wearing a gas mask and a girl lying in a coffin. Some think the images point to prediction for the future, and the airport will be the place where those in power will go to escape it all. The post-apocalyptic foretelling is also, supposedly, seen in concourse C with the piece "Untitled (Interior Garden)," which looks like an abandoned, ruined ancient city being taken over by vegetation.

Was Denver International Airport built at the behest of a secret society? This urban legend has been fueled by the airport's dedication stone. The granite stone is actually a time capsule, set to be opened in 2094, and marked with a Masonic crest and references a "New World Airport Commission." Of course, in conspiracy theory world, those things signal the airport is controlled by Freemasons and the New World Order, particularly considering that there doesn't seem to be any such thing as a "New World Airport Commission." In the real world, there was such a commission. It was short-lived and associated with the building of the airport, and the Western History & Genealogy archives at the Denver Public Library houses some of their documents. As for the Masonic symbol? It's because area Masonic lodges listed on the stone helped make it, according to Visit Denver.

The airport has leaned into the whole situation. They've displayed an art installation called "Conspiracy Theories Uncovered," and in 2023, when parts of the airport were undergoing construction, they put up signs that read things like, "Apologies for the noise. It takes really big drills to get to the underworld," via Reddit. So, while it may not be as flashy as some mystery hotspots, like visiting Easter Island with its mysterious statues or going to Roswell, New Mexico, with its UFOs, it's fun to look for some of these conspiracy signs when you're passing through Denver.