Tlen-Huicani is coming to NIU to help celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month, which began Sept. 15.

The Mexican musical group performs at 7:30 p.m. today at the Music Building’s Boutell Memorial Concert Hall.

The quintet is recognized as one of the best bands in Mexico and has performed in more than 50 countries throughout Latin America, Asia, Europe and the United States. It has released 15 LPs and three CDs worldwide.

“Tlen-Huicani has been on campus a few times, and each time they have come to campus they have always been very well-received by both students as well as members of the community,” said Michael Gonzales, director of the Center for Latino and Latin-American Studies.

Some students already anxiously are awaiting the band’s arrival.

“I think it’s going to be a culturally educational experience and I have always enjoyed different musical genres,” said Jason Daniels, a junior studio art design major.

Elementary education major Lashawndra Thornhill agreed.

“It’s a chance to experience another culture and to experience another form of music,” she said.

The name Tlen-Huicani comes from an Aztec phrase meaning “the singers.” Alberto De La Rosa founded the group in 1973, and he has been dedicated to preserving and promoting the musical heritage of Veracruz, a Mexican state. Its most important mission is to interpret the music of the harp, which is an instrument central to the music of Veracruz and other regions of Latin America.

Band members include De La Rosa, Victor Valdes, Raul Garcia, Alfonso Lagunes and Ivan Velasco.

Jessica Gonzalez, a pre-elementary education major, thinks the experience will be enlightening.

“I think it will be a nice cultural event because it is Hispanic Heritage month, it’s free and it’s being held here on campus,” she said.

Hispanic Heritage Month ends Oct. 15.