El Cenizo is an old colonia outside of Laredo, TX. El Cenizo became incorporated and it is now a city, with a mayor and a city manager. Very recently, El Cenizo received national attention when it declared that city council meetings would be conducted in Spanish. While living conditions have greatly improved for many of the residences of El Cenizo, the small house in the middle looks as bad or worse-off as it did three years ago.