Huitzcolo (MH835r)

This black-line drawing of the compound glyph for the personal name Huitzcolo (perhaps “Tree Thorn”) is attested here as a man’s name. The glyph shows two thorns (huitzcolotl) presumably from a thorny tree. They are connected by a horizontal line. The points are down, and they are painted a dark color, perhaps reminiscent of the use of thorns for bloodletting. The top of the black part is also angled, somewhat akin to the line on a tecpatl (flint knife). These two thorns curl at the top, making them reminiscent of the claws of a scorpion. Whether colotl or tehuitzcolotl is intended, this is a phonetic complement for a near homophone.