Copan's Great Ballcourt was apparently dedicated duríng the reign of the ruler 18 Rabbit. It is the latest of a series of earlier ballcourts revealed by excavation. The Great Ballcourt is located southwest of structure lOL-26 and constituted a transition between the public space of the Great Plaza to the north and the forbidden temples and palaces of Copan's rulers in the Acropolis to the south. The date of its dedication is recorded on the eastern structure, and has been read as 9.15.6.8.13, only 113 days before 18 Rabbit's capture and executíon by Cauac Sky of Quírigua, thus suggesting the plausible scenarío that the Copan king had been raidíng the northern borders of his realm to secure captives for the dedication of his new ballcourt when he fell victím to his erstwhile vassal at Quirigua.
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