Mangas Coloradas: Chief of the Chiricahua Apaches (Volume 231) (The Civilization of the American Indian Series)

A giant of a man, Mangas combined strength with wisdom and became leader of the Chiricahuas by 1842. Leading war parties against the Mexicans of Sonora, Mangas returned to his homelands in southwestern New Mexico with livestock, booty, and captives. In 1846 he welcomed Americans who joined in his fight against the Mexicans. But as more white miners, ranchers, and farmers encroached on the Apaches’ territory, tragic incidents caused retaliations that pressured Mangas, along with Cochise, to fight back in desperation. When Mangas finally tried to make peace in 1863, he was captured and killed by American soldiers. Ironically, the death of Mangas Coloradas, who had wished only to live in peace in his land, inflamed American-Apache relations and led to another twenty-three years of war.