·     This variant is a boulder outline with two infixed elements (a “dot necklace” and “blades of grass”) in common with a number of other glyphs. The list below shows the unique element infixed in the top which distinguishes them from one another:

o ba: LEM-like element.

o ma: right-side-up AJAW-face.

o t’u: KAWAK.

o tz’e: a slightly curved, bold V with “dot protector” underneath (the “dot protector” replaces the “necklace”, and the bold V can sometimes be non-bold).

o tz’u: K’IN.

o HA’: cross-hatched circle.

o “IMIX”: cross-hatched circle or LEM-like element (usually distinguished from HA’ by the blood cartouche).

·     A. bowtie / butterfly

o Centre:

§ A small rounded-rectangle or circle with an indentation in the middle of the bottom.

§ The indentation is often a curved, inverted-V, but can be so narrow that it appears to be just a vertical tick.

o Sides – the central “circle” is flanked by two “wings” (mirror images of one another):

§ Longish, rounded rectangles with a series of 3-5 horizontal ticks on the inside of the “outer” end.

§ A small (half-)dot on the inside of the “inner” end.

Notes

·     The nickname “bowtie/butterfly” is obviously not related to the iconographic origin of this sign.

·     This glyph is found as the “outermost” element of the abstract variant of K’INICH. This is the reason that an early reading of K’INICH was ma k’ina (ultimately rejected).

·     A. Spectacles:

o Two rounded squares, each with a series of 3-5 horizontal ticks on the inside of the “outer” end.

o The two squares are joined to one another by a single slightly curved line between them (the so-called “bridge” in the frames of spectacles, which goes on the bridge of the nose when the spectacles are worn).

Notes

·     The nickname “spectacles” is obviously not related to the iconographic origin of this sign.

·     CRC Ballcourt Marker 3 F3:

o In MHD this inscription has “objabbr = CRCBCM03”.

o The ticks are missing in one of the flanking elements because the ki is infixed in it, hence obscuring the ticks.

·     BPK Sculptured Stone 5 F9:

o Safronov made two different drawings of this inscription.

o There are also two photographs in Coll-1, both unfortunately unattributed.

o In MHD this is “objabbr = BPKSS05”. From one of the drawings, the middle element of F9a looks like the “spectacles” variant of ma. However, it’s coded as XV4 = sa in MHD. Examination of a photograph reveals that it’s more like a sa than a ma (personal communication, Matthew Looper 2023-01-28). Indeed, the bolding of the outer wall (visible in both photographs and in one of the Safronov drawings) points more to sa (i.e. the “left comb”) than ma.

Safronov             = Safronov         = Coll-1             = Coll-1                                

BPK Sculptured Stone 5 F9

<ta:<ma/sa>:ba>.<CHAN:na>

This inscription is hence not an example of “spectacles” variant of ma. It’s only included here for the sake of completeness (e.g. to warn against reading it as the “spectacles” variant of ma).

·     The element at the top of the boulder can be a LEM or an oval with a ladder in it.

·     The three “legs” can be round or “contoured”.

·     The three “legs” can be round or “contoured”.