A Battle for Power
The Inca emperor derived his prodigious power and authority from gods. The
paramount god was the sun god. It was from him the ruler passed on his prerogative
to rule to his most astute son. The nepotism had worked with great efficacy for
centuries. The land holdings were immense; there were rich farmlands and llamas
and alpacas for wool. Precious metals are plentiful: silver, copper, bronze and
the most sacred of all:gold. This metal resembled the sun god whom they extolled.
There was no dearth of idols and ornaments hammered from the metal. There was
always more golds coming from the mines to replenish the supply. At the acme of
his power, the Inca ruler died without naming the requisite successor. In 1493,
his two sons began an internecine struggle for control. For the next 40 years, 
the Inca empire sank into a lassitude caused by civil war.


to rub a person the wrong way--to do something that irritates or annoys.
The quickest way to rub a person the wrong way is to give him the cold shoulder.