As
you wait for your taxi after your 6-hour red-eye flight, you take a seat on top
of your suitcase to relax and take a breather. Raising your steaming hot
Starbucks cup full of liquid life to your lips, you nearly spit out the coffee.
Painted up on the wall, surrounded in bright colors, you find yourself
face-to-boot with a huge Nazi soldier. The Denver International Airport is
infamous for these large and unsettling murals, which have sparked a lot of
controversy and conspiracies about the facility. These commissioned murals, New
World Order imagery, and a massive network of tunnels underneath the airport have
lead many people to suspect that the airport’s intended purpose is to be used
as a bunker in case of emergency for the Free Masons and the world’s elite, and
a few other haunting claims, which surely will be bouncing through your brain
next time you are waiting in the TSA line.
Picture
a large mural covered in doomsday imagery, Nazi’s, dead children, and forest
fires. Now, picture the artist who comes to mind. Maybe an edgy, young art
student or a middle-aged man in a basement wearing a tinfoil hat? Well, the
frail Mexican-American artist with thin white hair covering his balding scalp
would shatter those assumptions. Leo Tanguma is a painter known for pushing
boundaries and using his shocking works to try and get people to stop and think
about its message. His murals in Denver International Airport, one of the
largest airports in the United States with over 53 million passengers passing
through every year (National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems 1) surely is
the prime location to place art with motivations to catch a large audience’s
eye. But, not everyone agrees that Nazi’s and dying ethnic groups should be
plastered on the walls of an airport, and accuse of Tanguma’s motives of being
malicious and pushing terroristic rhetoric in a very public place. Tanguma
defends his paintings fiercely against the allegations towards them, and uses
his Mexican roots to claim he can identify with the oppressed peoples he
includes in his art. He claims that the creative process of his works is “an organic, multi-step process that weaves Mexican
heritage, world history, spirituality, progressive social ideals, and personal
anecdotes” (Dalamangas, Rachel Cole, and Leo Tanguma 1) and he takes particular
inspiration from Diego Rivera, Jose Clemente Orozco, and David Alfaro
Siquieros, famous Mexican artists known for including politics and history in
their works. Tanguma rejects the ideas others have imposed onto his work
in Denver, sharing that the inspiration and central message for everything he
creates is about the “struggle for human liberation and human dignity” (Tanguma
1). Despite Tanguma’s art sprawling from prisons and migrant camps to
distinguished art museums (Tanguma 1), the controversial thematics of his
murals have not let up. These motivations have been going on long before the
Denver murals, and traces back his yearn for social justice during his
childhood. In an interview with Zing Magazine, Tanguma shared a story about how
he got in trouble at school for drawing a picture on the blackboard of his
fifth grade classroom of his classmates and himself killing the local Sheriff.
He shared that the local sheriff in his hometown of Beeville, Texas was very
racist and was known for treating Mexicans in the community poorly, even
shooting Tanguma’s mother’s uncle over a minor domestic dispute. This was his
first piece of artwork he recalls, and shares that many people ask him of his
first drawings, “thinking I’m gonna say
something like when I was in the boy scouts or something like that. That I
think started something in me” (Dalamangas, Rachel Cole, and Leo Tanguma 2).
These internal conflicts of injustice he saw while growing up as a child
inspired him to pursue art and use it to spread messages about his heritage
that no one else will talk about, which conflicted internally with the pressure
of the public reprimanding his uncensored way of representing these
perspectives. Colorado residents and frequent travelers call into
question if the Denver airport should have commissioned such a radical artist
to do the murals, as Leo Tanguma has a track-record of murals very similar to
the ones up in Denver -- but most of those have been painted over or taken
down. Tanguma is very proud of his work despite the controversy surrounding it,
and stands his ground rejecting the conspiracies about the motivation for his
murals. Now, it is up to the audience to make the decision. Are Tanguma’s
murals about his heritage and painting history used to educate, or to inspire
something darker to satisfy the twisted conspiracy theories lying within the
walls of the building they are housed in?
There
are tons of conspiracies surrounding the Denver International Airport, but some
of the most speculated aspects of the airport revolve around Leo Tanguma’s
murals. It does not take a theorist to see the strong and suggestive imagery
used in these colorful paintings, and when you takes a closer look, one can
understand why. The four murals are very colorful, but tell a dark story. At
the first glance, the bright colors can be deceitful, but the images tell a
clear story of world destruction on denomination. On the mural titled Children
of the World Dream of Peace there are two panels, reading from right to
left. The right panel is very dark and its focal point is a giant figure
wearing a gas mask, clearly being depicted as a Nazi based on the swastika on
its armband, holding a machine gun in one hand and a sword in another, impaling
a white dove, universally known as a symbol of peace. Around this figure, there
is a city in ruins and many ethnic groups of people, mainly women, huddled on
the ground wearing rags and leaning away in terror of the Nazi (Harowitz).
The left panel is very vibrant in color, as opposed to the very
dark right panel. It is surrounded in a rainbow banner which carries over to
the right panel where it dissipates. The images displays a large group of
children, each dressed differently to represent a different country, with a
winding banner the children are holding with the word “peace” written in
different languages. While some are holding a banner that says peace, others
are holding large missiles with flags from different countries draped over
them. The missiles are pointed towards the bottom of the mural, where there is
a child with a hammer lifted over his head about to hit what the missiles are
also aiming at: the Nazi figure from the other panel, dead, lying on the ground
(Harowitz).
This piece by Tanguma has been controversial because
despite its bright colors and images of smiling children, it still feels
disturbing. The imagery of children holding a banner saying “peace” while they
hold missiles and celebrate on top of a dead Nazi soldier does not sit well.
Some theories propose that the reason all of the people in the left panel are
children, is because the Nazi figure was destroying the world and killed so
many, only the children were left (Harowitz 1) which aligns with the doomsday
theories surrounding the Denver airport.
The
Denver Airport has been speculated as being part of the New World order, and
there is some quite solid and disturbing evidence supporting the claim posted
in plain sight around the airport. In the Denver Airport, there is a time
capsule which was sealed in March 19, 1994, which is set to be open in 2094 (Harowitz).
But, what is inside the time capsule is not what this
theory sprouted from, but rather what is posted right on the headstone of it.
This capsule is located in plain sight for anyone to see in the airport, and
the largest picture on the center of the headstone is what is recognized to be
the emblem of the Free Masons, which according to Google, is “an international order established for mutual help and
fellowship, which holds elaborate secret ceremonies”. Also, the headstone lists
its contributors, one of which is the New World Airport Commission. But, the
New World Airport Commission doesn’t exist. The suffix of this name of “New
World” in addition with the Free Mason symbol brings a theory’s argument to
life. The Denver Airport’s massive size in addition with these symbols support
the theory stating that the Denver International Airport was constructed for
the purpose of being used as a bunker for the World’s Elite in the event of a
massive world disaster. The Free Masons, suspected to be comprised of many
elite world leaders scholars and celebrities, are being accused of working with
the New World Order, a conspiracy theory about a group working together to make
a totalitarian world government, to make plans for the layout and provide
funding for the Denver International Airport.
Another
very popular conspiracy theory about the Denver International Airport revolves
around the underground tunnels beneath the airport. The airport’s initial
construction timeline and budget changed multiple times, which is what kick
started the public’s speculation about what was going on inside the walls of
this massive airport. Denver International Airport started construction in 1995
across 34,000 acres and its initial budget was $1.7 million, but by the time
the airport was finished, the price tag had been raised to $4.8 billion, which
is $3.1 billion over budget (The Vigilant Citizen 1). Normal over budget costs
for the construction of something with the initial budget of $1.7 billion could
be expected to go over about $1 or 2 million, but the humongous gap of the
start and end budget leads many to believe that substantial additions to
construction were added to the initial blueprints. So, what did this extra $3.1
billion go towards? It has been reported that “5,300 miles of fiber optics were
installed for communications”, which for comparison, the USA from coast to
coast is only 3,000 miles long (The Vigilant Citizen 1). In the original plans,
underground tunnels were included in order to provide fast transportation of
luggage and staff from one side of the airport to the others, a feat which was
known would take a lot of time to construct. During construction, multiple
sources and staff testimonies have supported the fact that “Different contractors have been hired for different parts of
the airport. They’ve all been fired after their job was done” (The Vigilant
Citizen 1) in an effort to make sure that no one had a full scope of the
airport. These facts
lead up to support that the tunnels beneath Denver International Airport may
extend much further than staff will release, and the airport hired different
workers for the extension of the tunnels than the ones who worked on the
tunnels directly beneath the building. In fact, a research investigation headed
up by the Governor of Minnesota concluded stated that “the underground city that lies beneath the airport quite
possibly connects to other deep underground military installations throughout
the country” (Ambellas 1), specifically, the Cheyenne Mountain Airport Station,
an aviation military base 90 miles from the airport. However, officials from
both locations deny these claims. The other large theory, is that these tunnels
will serve as a bunker for the world’s elite in the event of a doomsday or
nuclear war crisis. According to a survey conducted with 21 participants, 93%
of participants believe that this theory could be true. While only staff is
allowed in the underground tunnels, they have allowed a few film crews to have
guided tours around some of the tunnels, and the tunnels are large enough for
golf carts, small cars, and small pick-up trucks to drive through. This on a
day-to-day basis is to allow carts with luggage to drive through the tunnels to
get to baggage claim faster, but conspiracy theorists see through this.
Theorists believe that those underground tunnels were made large enough
purposely for military trucks and supplies to be driven in and to load tons of
people inside in case of a world disaster. This theory is the one which
connects to the New World Order and Free Masons aforementioned. The Denver
International Airport is suspected of working with the Free Masons, a group of
the world’s elite, along with the New World Order, a group of people who
believe in starting a new totalitarian government with the world’s elite, to
prepare for doomsday. This would also explain where all of the additional
funding came from and the necessity of so much fiber optic wire for
communication. But how does Leo Tanguma’s murals tie into this? Tanguma is
suspected to have been picked and paid by the Free Masons and New World Order
to create a piece that illustrated their ideals of destruction of the world
today for a fresh and better start for tomorrow.
The pure nature of underground
tunnels in such a public space reminds people of places like The Pentagon,
which immediately leads people to assume that anything build underground must
be there in an effort to keep secrets from the public. But ultimately, the
theory that provides the most answers to the bizarre components of this airline
fortress is the theory that the Denver International Airport is a bunker for
the end of the world. The great part about this mystery is that so much
evidence can be seen by strolling down the halls of the airport. So, next time
you catch a flight to Denver, take a look around and check out Leo Tanguma’s
murals, ask staff what they know, and never assume anything at first glance. While
staff and all those connected to Denver International Airport will not confirm
if any of these theories are true, the facts we do have about it is enough to
provoke conversation and speculation not only amongst conspiracy theorists, but
amongst Denver locals and travelers. As long these mysteries are brought to the
public’s attention and people see that there are holes in the stories and history
provided from the staff, hopefully they will learn to have a new perspective on
the world and be curious enough to figure things out for themselves, and to not
immediately trust any information placed before you.
Works
Cited
Ambellas, Shepard.
"Whistleblower Confirms Secret Underground Base beneath Denver Int'l
Airport." Pakalert Press. Intellihub, 02 July 2014. Web. 04 Dec. 2016.
Dalamangas, Rachel
Cole, and Leo Tanguma. "INTERVIEW: Leo Tanguma | Zing Magazine." Zing
Magazine. Zing Magazine, June 2012. Web. 01 Dec. 2016.
Horowitz, Leonard, Dr. "Denver Airport Murals
Explained by Dr. Leonard Horowitz." War On We The People. War on We
The People, 2013. Web. 04 Dec. 2016.
National Plan of
Integrated Airport Systems (NPIAS). "US Top 40 Airports." World
Airport Codes. World Airport Codes, 2012. Web. 01 Dec. 2016.
Tanguma, Leo.
"Leo Tanguma." Christian Social Network Ministry. Christian
Social Network Ministry, 2015. Web. 09 Nov. 2016.
The Vigilant Citizen.
"VC." The Vigilant Citizen Symbols Rule the World. Sinister Sites, 22
Apr. 2015. Web. 04 Dec. 2016.
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