Born in June 1829, in No-Doyohn Canyon, Mexico, Geronimo
continued the tradition of the Apaches resisting white
colonization of their homeland in the Southwest, participating
in raids into Sonora and Chihuahua in Mexico. After years of war
Geronimo finally surrendered to U.S. troops in 1886. While he
became a celebrity, he spent the last two decades of his life as
a prisoner of war. A legend of the untamed American frontier,
the Apache leader Geronimo was born in June 1829 in No-Doyohn
Canyon, Mexico. He was a naturally gifted hunter, who, the story
goes, as a boy swallowed the heart of his first kill in order to
ensure a life of success on the chase. Being on the run
certainly defined Geronimo's way of life. He belonged to the
smallest band within the Chiricahua tribe, the Bedonkohe.
Numbering a little more than 8,000, the Apaches were surrounded
by enemies—not just Mexicans, but also other tribes, including
the Navajo and Comanches. Raiding their neighbors was also a
part of the Apache life. In response the