The Apaches lost their wars against the Mexicans and Americans for six basic reasons.
First, the Apaches were hopelessly outnumbered. When an Apache chief, such as Cochise, lost a warrior in battle, there was no replacement until one of the younger boys grew up and became a warrior. All an American or Mexican military officer usually had to do when he lost men was call for readily available replacements. It was a war of attrition.

Geronimo (rt), two sons and a nephew.

Second, the Apaches had no friends. For centuries, they had raided the more sedentary, less aggressive tribes, such as the Navajo in Northern Arizona, the Tarahumara to the south in Mexico, and the Papago (Tohono O’odham) to the west along the Santa Cruz River near Tubac and Tumacacori. These neighbors wanted the Apaches eliminated as much as the Americans and Mexicans.