What is la Paz like in the story 'the pearl'?

Well if you look on page 23, it clearly says (when people found out about the pearl) "The news stirred up something infinitely black and evil in the town; the black distillate was like the scorpion, or like hunger in the smell of food, or like loneliness when love is withheld. The poison sacs of the town began to manufacture venom, and the town swelled and puffed with the pressure of it." Hope I answered your question! =]