Two Spanish boys in south Texas who were kidnapped by Indians in the late 1850s returned home four years later with a lot of knowledge, their descendants say.

Claudio Canales was about 14 years old and Esteban Ramos was about 11 years old when they were captured and taken north. Canales family members today say they aren't sure which tribe took the boys, who were put to work while everyone believed they had been killed.

But Lydia Lopez and her brother Martin Canales say their great-grandfather Claudio Canales learned a lot from his years in captivity -- "how to ride horses, treating cattle and deer skins," Martin tells The McAllen Monitor. To this day, the family still uses herbs and plants to treat ailments and diseases, something they say their ancestor picked up from the tribe.

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Boys kidnapped in 1850s leave lasting legacy (The McAllen Monitor 5/26)