author

T. A. (Theodore Arthur) Willard

1862–1943

An inventor, musician, entrepreneur, and writer, he brought a lifelong fascination with the Maya world into both nonfiction and adventure fiction. His books mix firsthand curiosity, popular archaeology, and the lost-civilization storytelling style that appealed to early 20th-century readers.

1 Audiobook

The City of the Sacred Well

The City of the Sacred Well

by T. A. (Theodore Arthur) Willard

About the author

Born on December 10, 1862, in Castle Rock, Minnesota, Theodore Arthur Willard led an unusually varied life. Reliable reference sources describe him not only as an author, but also as an inventor, musician, and entrepreneur. He died in Beverly Hills, California, on February 3, 1943.

Willard is especially associated with writing about the Maya world. His nonfiction book The City of the Sacred Well (1926) drew on the discoveries and excavations of Edward Herbert Thompson at Chichen Itza and presented them for a general audience, illustrated with photographs. He also wrote adventure novels with lost-world themes, including The Wizard of Zacna (1929) and Bride of the Rain God (1930).

What makes his work interesting today is the way it sits between popular history, travel-era curiosity, and imaginative romance. His books reflect an early 20th-century appetite for ancient cities and archaeological mystery, while also showing how writers of his time turned those interests into vivid storytelling.