Biographies

Ganado Mucho - 1809-1893

The son of a Navajo mother and a Hopi father, Ganado Mucho was a successful rancher, tribal headman, and peacemaker in the 19th century Southwest. In Spanish his name means "Livestock Many" reflecting the large herds he owned. In the 1850s he was accused of stealing cattle, but he successfully denied the charges. A peaceful man, he signed an agreement to report the theft of livestock and return any found.

During the Navajo War of 1863-66, while Col. Kit Carson was pursuing his policy of killing Navajos and destroying their property, Mucho and his band successfully hid from Carson. Even during this terrible time, he encouraged peace between the two sides. After he lost a son and two daughters to raids by Utes and Mexicans, his band surrendered and Ganado Mucho led them on the "long walk" from Ft. Defiance to Ft. Sumner at Bosque Redondo in New Mexico.

After the treaty of 1868, he returned to the Navajo homeland, rebuilt his herds and ranch and continued to work for peace between the Navajos and the Americans until his death in 1893.