The Story of Blucifer, the Demonic Blue Mustang at DIA

If you've been around Denver long enough, you've probably at least heard some of the backstory of the evil looking blue mustang statue that welcomes you to Denver International Airport. 

Some stories though, they're worse than at first glance. Blucifer, as he came to become known, was originally commissioned in 1992 for $300,000 when Stapleton Airport became overgrown and plans for the now DIA came to materialize. But years went past before construction began by creator Luis Jiménez. By 2006, when the statue was finally being built, an accident at Jimenez's New Mexico studio happened, resulting in the statue falling over and severing the artery in his leg, resulting in Jimenez's death. 

Nearly two years later, the statue was completed by his staff, family and other professional painters and subsequently dedicated at DIA in February 2008. 

These days, Blucifer makes the news much less often. But you can always find him standing tall between Peña Boulevard just as you enter or leave the terminals.

 

Fun Facts:

• The statue is 32 feet tall and weighs 9000 pounds. 
• Reportedly, the blue mustang was originally to be a herd of stampeding buffalo, but this was adapted as it was deemed insensitive given the history of buffalo in the west. 
• Blucifer is not, in fact, an ode to the Denver Broncos.
• The final sticker price of Blucifer was $650,000, which was after years of legal battles between Jimenez and the city of Denver. 
• Blucifer is one of several other similar statues that Jimenez built, most notably a similar 8 foot statue named Mesteño on the University of Oklahoma's campus. 
• Blucifer wasn't always so well received, around and shortly after his unveiling in 2008, many local residents were quoted as being uneasy and confused about the statue, with some calling to have it relocated.  

 

As an ode to Blucifer, we've created a full color Blucifer shirt design and sticker. 

https://denverapparelcompany.com/collections/blucifer-collection

 

Sources:

• Image Credit, Eric Golub,Creative Commons
• https://kdvr.com/news/local/5-facts-you-didnt-know-about-blucifer/
• https://www.uncovercolorado.com/blucifer-blue-mustang-statue-denver-airport/
• https://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/02/arts/design/02hors.html
• https://www.denverpost.com/2009/02/08/denvers-startling-airport-mustang-stirs-opposition/