It is a present-tense decision, waiting to be made.

The Spiritual Dimension Of The Southwest

Before returning to the documentary evidence, the specific geography matters.

Geronimo died far from the landscape that had defined his life.

The Chiricahua homeland is a specific place: the mountain ranges of southeastern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico, including the Chiricahua Mountains (now preserved partly as a national monument), the Dragoon Mountains where Cochise had his stronghold, the Peloncillo Mountains along the Arizona-New Mexico border, and the canyons of the Gila and Mimbres rivers.

This country is visually dramatic: high rocky peaks rising from desert grassland and scrub, with canyons carved deep by seasonal water.