inclined benches of the ballcourt are inscribed with hieroglyphic text, one of these being the commemoration date. It was dedicated in 738, only 113 days before Uaxaclajuun Ubʼaah Kawiil's death. Sculpture Between 711 and 736, Uaxaclajuun Ubʼaah Kawiil commissioned the construction of seven monuments. Stelas C, F, 4, H, A, B, and D (erected in that order) represent one of the greatest achievements in Classic Maya sculpture. Each stela depicts Uaxaclajuun Ubʼaah Kawiil in ritual pose, with a two-headed centipede bar clasped to his chest. The text of Stela A proclaims that Copan ranked with three other kingdoms, Calakmul, Palenque, and Tikal, as the four great polities of the Maya World. Death and aftermath Beheading Uaxaclajuun Ubʼaah Kawiil was captured and beheaded by Kʼakʼ Tiliw Chan Yopaat, ruler of the small polity of Quirigua, on May 3, 738. Quirigua was a vassal of Copan, founded by a subordinate of Kʼinich Yax Kʼukʼ Moʼ in 426. Though only about one-tenth the size of Copan, it was an important location controlling the Motagua River trade route. About 35 years into his reign, Uaxaclajuun Ubʼaah Kawiil presided over the accession of Kʼak Tiliw Chan Yopaat, who was to be subject to Copan's authority. In 734 on Altar M at Quirigua, Kʼak Tiliw Chan Yopaat gives himself the title kʼuhul ajaw, thus declaring Quirigua's independence from Copan. In 738, a date given conspicuous prominence in Quirigua's monuments, Kʼakʼ Tiliw Chan Yopaat captured and beheaded Uaxaclajuun Ubʼaah Kawiil. This event is recorded on Quirigua's monuments as an 'ax event', referring to the beheading of Uaxaclajuun Ubʼaah Kawiil. The only reference at Copan is on the Hieroglyphic Stairway, recording the death of Uaxaclajuun Ubʼaah Kawiil by 'flint and shield'. There is no evidence of a large-scale battle at or around Copan during the 730's, suggesting that Uaxaclajuun Ubʼaah Kawiil was captured abroad. Political implications It is unlikely that a polity only one-tenth the size of Copan could overthrow centuries of regional hegemony by acting alone. Stela I at Quirigua states that in 736, two years before Uaxaclajuun Ubʼaah Kawiil's defeat and two years after the inscription declaring Quirigua's independence, Kʼakʼ Tiliw Chan Yopaat hosted a delegation from the polity of Calakmul, including its ruler Wamaw Kʼawiil. This suggests that Calakmul played a role in Copan's defeat, possibly even providing the armed forces necessary to overpower a polity the size of Copan. Calakmul's possible motives include control