The mask first appeared in the United States in 1984 in the possession of collector Peter G. Wray. Went up for sale for $470,000 in 1984 through Andre Emmerich Gallery, New York, NY. Later sold for $35,000 to unknown location/collector. It may have passed through the collection of the Detroit Institute of Art’s hands and moved to Europe, as other objects such as a vase under question were stolen from the same site, acquired by the DIA. (However, not certain if the questioned vase is still in the collection of the DIA.)Appeared in an exhibition in 1999 held by Barbier-Mueller Pre-Columbian Art Museum and spotted by officials, who then drafted a claim in November 2000 and filed it to the Consulate General of Guatemala in Madrid.Based on Guatemalan “Law for the Protection of the Cultural Heritage,” even though the mask was illegally removed from original context and commercialized abroad before 1984, it is considered a movable cultural property of Guatemalan cultural heritage. “Movable cultural property is that which, for religious or secular reasons, is of genuine importance for the country, and is related to paleontology, archaeology, anthropology, history, literature, art, science or Guatemalan technology.”In March 2002, the City Council of Barcelona abstained from handling the dispute, declared the proceedings null and void, due to lack of jurisdiction by the Spanish court, and it should be filed with the Courts in Switzerland since the original address of the defendant, BM Museum is in Geneva. Also, asked the applicant to pay costs of further proceedings.In October 2020: The Antiquities Coalition creates a “Ten Most Wanted Antiquities” List in an effort to get the public involved in locating missing artifacts, including the Río Azul Mask.